Comparison between Chinese and foreign disaster movie
Based on Hollywood genre films, combined with domestic film creation practice, this paper takes two recent disaster films, Tangshan Earthquake and 20 12, as examples, and compares domestic genre films with American genre films from four aspects: narrative, feminism, product placement and ideology, and puts forward the future development trend of genre films, especially domestic genre films.
Keywords: genre movies; Narrator; Feminism; Product placement advertising; ideology
First, the characteristics of genre films
Genre film, as a highly patterned film, is an objective film phenomenon. Movies? Class? The film was born earlier, but the masters have different views on how to define the connotation of the film type. Koukl thinks: Once the film developed narrative structure, it began to form a genre from just showing things (such as the train leaving the platform or two kissing people) to telling stories. Once the story is told, it immediately enters a certain type: romantic, melodramatic, chasing, western and comedy. ? And Australian scholar Richard? Matt white thinks: Audiences, producers and film critics all use the concept of genre when discussing movies, but each of them may use these concepts with very different meanings, just like Andrew? What did Andrew Tudor say, typing? Something we all believe in? . We know what a thriller is when we watch it. In fact, we know what a thriller is before watching it, and to a certain extent, we can identify these types of movies with wide cultural similarities without knowing the content of the movies. ?
As a genre film, disaster film has its own uniqueness in addition to its uniqueness. Each type of film has a relatively fixed theme and character type, a specific story space and modeling language, editing style and musical characteristics. Such as the stage in musical films, singing and dancing stars, virtual future world in science fiction films, aliens, confrontation between the two armies in war films, battlefield heroes, robbers, police and underground organizations in police films. Disaster movie's stories and themes often change with the changes of the times and the renewal of ideas. 20 12 is a movie based on Mayan prophecy. The film was released in 2009, close to 20 12. Similarly, "Tangshan Earthquake" was filmed after the Wenchuan earthquake, and the people have not recovered from the shadow of the earthquake. Wenchuan earthquake reminds people of Tangshan earthquake decades ago.
Secondly, genre films generally cater to some sensory and emotional needs of the audience, thus satisfying the entertainment psychology of the audience. Although each type of film presents entertainment in different ways, it is the same in creating entertainment scenes and finally realizing entertainment functions. The entertainment of genre films, on the one hand, stimulates and satisfies people's emotions, on the other hand, allows the audience to get aesthetic pleasure by integrating wonders into the plot. Disaster films in disaster movie, especially those in Hollywood, first give people a visual impact with grand disaster scenes. The story is interlocking and exciting, and the audience's mood is tense and relaxed with the progress of the film plot, as if they were there, exciting and pleasant. China's disaster film scene is obviously inferior, the narrative is relatively mild, paying attention to the emotional part of the content, with emotional people.
Finally, genre films also have commercial characteristics. Different types of movies meet the consumption needs of audiences with different hobbies. If the market has a good response to a certain type of film and has the support of the audience, the studio will continue to produce this type of film, otherwise, it will stop production. After the release of 20 12, the response was fierce and the box office revenue was considerable. Soon after, the domestic disaster film "Tangshan Earthquake" was released. Many viewers went to the cinema to see this so-called domestic disaster film because they were not satisfied with "20 12". "Tangshan Earthquake" as a means of disaster film propaganda and commercial operation.
Second, narrative and its skills
20 12 tells a story of the end of the world. The biggest highlight of the film is the ultimate visual effect when the disaster happens, which shocks the audience. But after watching the movie, I can only remember the incredible disaster elements in the movie: the movement of the earth plate, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and the destruction of various landmark buildings around the world, which gives people a terrible and shocking sense of doomsday. But it is easy for the audience to ignore its plot, and it is also difficult to make people think deeply. In addition, 20 12 is also called a love letter to China by some journalists, which contains many China elements. Perhaps the director was moved by the spirit of the people of China when the Wenchuan earthquake happened, so he described China as the land of salvation for mankind, and the Noah's Ark at the end of the film was also made in China.
Tangshan earthquake is a controversial disaster film. To be precise, it should be a typical China family drama. The disaster scene in the film is ignored, and it is more a story of the joys and sorrows of a family of four, and naming the film "Tangshan Earthquake" is just a kind of hype. The film preaches the love beyond everything, just as Feng Dao expected? Content is greater than form? :? Disaster movie element is the foundation of Tangshan earthquake, and ethical film element is the soul of the film. ?
Third, feminist reflection.
Most of the female characters in Hollywood movies are in a passive and dependent position, or as symbols of family life. Simon? Beauvoir said? All books about women written by men should be suspected because men are both judges and litigants. ? There is a detail in "20 12". When Jackson drove to pick up the children for a holiday, his wife gave her husband a pack of diapers and told him that her seven-year-old daughter was still wetting the bed and should wear this every night before going to bed. When her husband saw this thing, he was full of doubts: Still wearing it? Obviously, the husband didn't know that his daughter still wet the bed. This detail fully reflects his? Male chauvinism? Women are the masters of family life. In disaster movie, women are in danger and need to be protected. When tsunamis and earthquakes occur, the camera immediately turns to women's reactions: screaming, panicking and fleeing helplessly.
Men, on the other hand, think when they encounter disasters. What the hell is that? In western movies, women are independent individuals, and their subordinate status to men is relative. Laura in 20 12 is a clever girl and a representative of independent women. In the face of disaster, Laura is as calm, strong and calm as men. When the earth was about to be destroyed and Jackson fled with his family, he seemed to be the master of the family's fate, and his wife and children had to be protected to escape. However, if a wife completely relies on her husband's protection and loses herself, she and her children can't protect themselves. The boat almost sank into the sea, and the whole family was trapped in a boat full of seawater. They were forced to separate from Jackson. At this time, Amanda's wife had to bear the responsibility of protecting the children's lives. The director's description of the plot here reflects the irresistible power of women in the disaster, which is in sharp contrast with the panic of women in the face of disasters in the past.
The expression of feminism in Tangshan Earthquake is similar to that in 20 12, and the description of maternal love in the film is obviously more profound. However, compared with feminism in western films, domestic films still tend to be traditional and conservative. In the film, after losing her husband, Yuan Ni insisted on spending the rest of her life alone in the face of another man's pursuit, because she knew that her husband died in the earthquake to protect himself, and no man would love himself with his life like her husband. But think about it carefully, Yuan Ni's practice is influenced by China's traditional thought. Xiaogang Feng created a tear-jerking family drama centered on female images in the film. After Yuan Ni lost her husband, the hardship of raising her son alone also reflected the importance of her husband in a family. Men are the backbone of the family. If she were still alive, her life wouldn't be so hard. Obviously, this is not divorced from the traditional concept of male-dominated family in China. From the social point of view, women are witnesses of vicissitudes of life and ill-fated individuals: the pain left by disasters can only be well reflected and sympathized with vulnerable women.
Fourthly, the application of product placement in movies.
With the development of advertising industry, more and more advertisers begin to pay attention to product placement. ? Implantable advertising, also known as acute advertising, refers to the advertising communication marketing strategy that relies solely on preaching and sales promotion in the past, which strategically brings products or brands and their visual symbols and even service content into the communication content such as movies, TV dramas or other TV programs (hidden in the carrier and integrated with the carrier), so that the audience can unconsciously accept the information of products or brands while accepting the communication content, thus achieving the communication purpose expected by advertisers. ? The product placement advertisements of the above two films are divided into the following categories:
1. Implantable Prop Implantation: This is the most traditional form of implantable advertising, which mainly refers to the visual symbol of the brand or the appearance of the product itself as an implantable prop for film and television works. ? Visualization of visual forms is of special significance for communication with the purpose of persuasion. ? For example, in the movie 20 12, the logo driven by the protagonist is one of them. In "Tangshan Earthquake", when Yuan Ni was having dinner with her family, the Jiannanchun wine on the dining table was the most obvious implantable advertising signboard, except cars, televisions, banks and sports brands.
2. Dialogue implantation: products, brands and services are ingeniously implanted into the film through dialogue between characters, which becomes the lines in the film, thus achieving the advertising effect. For example, in "20 12", the protagonist drives home in a hurry to take the children on vacation. In the process of calling his lover, he mentioned? Yellowstone National Park? This name, this is also the form of product placement. The advertising method of China Life Insurance in Tangshan earthquake also belongs to this category: Fonda, as the boss of a travel company, said when employees came to ask which travel insurance to use. Just choose China Life, and be practical. ?
3. Scene implantation: brand information is implanted into the environment of film and television works, and the brand visual symbol or product itself appears as the scene or part of the scene where the story takes place. For example, the beach building in the scene shot by {20 12} and the park where the hero takes his children on vacation have injected certain advertising elements.
There is a big gap between domestic movies and Hollywood blockbusters in product placement. Hollywood films can quietly implant advertisements in them, which can effectively serve advertisers without affecting the audience's appreciation of the films. However, domestic films do a little poorly in this respect. Product placement should respect the story of the film, make it look natural and not affect the viewing effect of the film. "20 12" has successfully done this. However, after watching the Tangshan earthquake, the audience criticized the product placement in the film. Product placement should effectively give the audience a suggestive effect, follow the principle of content first and advertisement second, avoid the sudden appearance of advertising words and any unreasonable advertising scenes in the film, and do not blindly implant any advertisements in the film. Before product placement, it is necessary to analyze the factors such as whether the product and its brand are suitable for performance in the film and whether it can achieve the publicity effect that advertisers want.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) conclusion
The differences between Chinese and western disaster films reflect the differences between Chinese and western cultures and different national cultural traditions. We can't expect China's disaster films to fully meet the aesthetic needs of the West, but successful works must combine profound ideological connotation, ingenious artistic treatment and popular movie-watching hotspots. First of all, the biggest intersection between Chinese and western films is commercialization, and their future efforts cannot be separated from making films more commercially valuable. Audiences spend money to go to the cinema to watch movies, mostly for entertainment, so the commercialization and entertainment of movies are inseparable.
Secondly, Chinese and western films should strive to improve the level of storytelling. Hollywood films pay attention to the production of scenes, covering up the ups and downs of their plots, and the audience will inevitably feel something missing when they are shocked. However, there are many loopholes in the story-telling process of China's films, and there are also many criticisms after the story comes out. Hollywood movies have always been at the forefront of the world in telling stories.
Thirdly, the film should pay attention to publicity and stimulate the audience's type expectation. To some extent, genre films are sold to the audience in advance, and when developing each genre film, there is often a relative audience positioning. If a film can be properly publicized and the genre can be fixed in the audience's mind from every operation link such as the title and advertisement, then the spring of the film will not be far away.
Finally, genre films should also focus on the integration of production and distribution. Genre movies are developed under the motivation of attracting more consumers and earning more profits. The Hollywood film industry is always trying to replicate its recent commercial success. In market development, consciously cover other aspects to selectively highlight some aspects, so that the audience can pay more attention to those aspects that the producers want to emphasize. However, the film market in China is still in a semi-market state. Although the cinema system has been gradually formed, it is necessary to continue to improve the cinema development model.
Precautions:
[1] Tang Jinxian: "(Tangshan Earthquake): Touching Mother by Family", Film Literature, No.3, 20 1 1.
[2] Ren: On Product Placement, Modern Media, No.4, 2006.
[3] Mezari: Visual persuasion-the role of image in advertising, Beijing Xinhua Publishing House, 2003, the first 1 1 page.
[4] Sun Yusheng: "Ten Years: Starting from Changing TV Sound", Life? Reading? Xinzhi Sanlian Bookstore, 2003, p. 78.
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