Early cinema as a foreign medium not only allowed local audiences to appreciate foreign cultures but also allowed people to experience new forms of art. For this reason, Hollywood films are very popular in China, especially among writers or students. However, I believe that Chinese films cannot just imitate the acting style and camera features of Hollywood films, they need to choose a suitable shooting method and content about the local culture to dominate more in the local market. This act allows for a deeper connection between the film and the cultural context of the local city and facilitates the audience to study the film from an external perspective.
Firstly, Hollywood movie always places the viewer’s perspective at a vantage point in the narrative space by hiding the camera, allowing the audience to experience the story development even further. But this is not in line with the traditional Chinese aesthetic. Chinese films are suitable for using long shots. Because long shots not only unify the characters and the spatial setting in a film but also give a prominent role to the space, maintaining the distance between the viewer and the film. Secondly, the content can be used as an important way to reflect the ideology of Chinese society. For example, some screenwriters react to the difference between urban space and the countryside through the stories of small characters. The film captures the negative side of the city also as a projection of Shanghai at the time. It expresses some of the discontents of the masses in Chinese society at the time with the big city and the desire for a quiet life in the countryside. Therefore, Chinese films need to be distinguished from Hollywood films through their content and filming techniques that are relevant to Chinese society, to avoid becoming a copy of Hollywood films.
Chen Yuxin 3036099526
You have explained the distinction of Chinese films from Hollywood films with regards to the local Chinese audience and the need to have such differences- however, some concrete example will be helpful in illustrating your point of the discontent of the masses, what films are reflective of that? Although there are major ideological differences between Hollywood and early Chinese cinema, a more nuanced and implicit read on how one influenced the other instead of dichotomizing the two will reveal more insights.