1. Topic Area
World Cinema
(Chinese)
2. Proposed title, question, hypothesis
MAYBE - Do western audiences find the work of directors such as Zhang Yimou more appealing than other chinese directors, and why?
3. Teacher approval granted, in principal?
I think so?
4. Principle texts (if text based study)
the films : house of flying daggers, hero, curse of the golden flower and riding alone for thousands of miles.
Books: Chinese Cinema, New Chinese Cinema - challenging representations, Out of Asia.
5. Reason for choice
I'm interested in chinese cinema and culture and especially Zhang Yimou, want to see why his films have a almost western feel to them even though they are so chiiiiinese.
6. Academic context for this study (similar research, relevant theory, named theorists)
Chris Berry's name comes up a lot, hes written a few books about it and hes done some interviws with ZY.
I want to use Zhang Yimou as an example of chinese directors that have achieved western success and l0ok at the reasons behind it. generally chinese cinema is quite a popular world cinema and i want to look at why by studying the work of ZY.
7. Institutional context for this study (industry focus, other texts for comparison, named practitioners, relevant theory, issues, questions)
I need to look at a lot of factors including
- government control, the government has a huge say in what chinese directors can do, they can ban films, band funding films, (they even banned ZY from personally recieving an award at the Cannes film festival for house of flying daggers)
- The gov. also funds films in a big way if they like the film (hero), and this surely has an effect on the topics of films, as funding is obviously very important. (zy is doing a film to celebrate 60 years of the Peoples Rep. of China
- Box office success of the films in both China and West.
8. Identify the audience context for this study (audience profile, access to audience, potential sample)
Need to look at audiences that are fans, and those that arent find out why. ill be mainly looking at western audience as i dont have access to chinese, however should be able to get figures for general chinese success.
i will do focus groups, hopefully in Film Club.
9. How will the 4 key concepts be relevant to your study (audience, institution, forms and conventions, representation)?
Audience: Why does a western audience find ZY appealing
Institution: are the films aimed at a western audience and why, Eg, money, etc.
Forms and conventions: what is it about the actual films that is/isnt popular, what are they like, general analysis of his work
Representation: is he trying to represent the chinese race to the world, how does he represent the chinese race. Is he trying to represent the chinese culture, does he? and in what light?
10 Potential research sources (secondary): secondary academic books and websites, secondary industry books and websites, secondary popular criticism. Please identify specific examples you have come across.
Books: Chinese Cinema, New Chinese Cinema - challenging representations, Out of Asia.
i need to go back to the BFI to read some thing specfically about the success of his films with western audiences.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/04/zhang-yimou-peoples-republic Celebratory film article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/09/17/hero_2004_review.shtml Nev Pierce interview
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/film_award/shortlist/hero.shtml Culture show interview
http://www.asiasource.org/arts/zhangyimou.cfm (interview, not sure who by)
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1865103_1865107,00.html (Steven Spielberg nominating him as TIME person of the year 08, which barak obama won)
11. Potential research sources (primary): audience reception research, your own content/textual analysis etc
Im gonna do a focus group in film club. Im gonna get like three people to watch some of the films, hopefully a fan, an indifferent person and someone who doesnt like the genre and compare their responses.
Gonna analyise one or two key scenes from the films and compare, compare his film Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles and Hero or flying daggers, see why some are more popular.
12. Modifications agreed with your lead teacher
13. Potential limits/obstacles/problems?
14. Teacher concerns
15. Teacher approval
