China’s New Role in Moviemaking
A team of young animators, illustrators and computer programmers is bringing an ancient Chinese village to digital life.
一群年輕的動畫設計師、插畫家和電腦程式設計師正在讓一座中國古鎮在數位世界裡重現。
The team – mostly graduates of China’s leading arts schools – is adding intricate details to temples, palaces and pagodas and animating the movements of the digital characters, including two pandas named Po and Mei Mei.
團隊成員大多畢業於中國頂尖美術院校－他們正在為寺院、宮殿和寶塔增添精緻複雜的細節裝飾，還會讓數位角色動起來，包括兩隻貓熊：波和美美。
The project, part of the next installment of the blockbuster Hollywood film franchise “Kung Fu Panda,” represents a shift in China’s moviemaking ambitions. No longer content to build movie sets and provide extras in Hollywood films, Chinese studios are helping to develop, design and produce world-class films and animated features. They want a bigger role in the creative process, one that will allow them to reap more rewards.
他們從事的計畫是好萊塢系列大片《功夫熊貓》續集的一部分，同時代表著中國拍片雄心的變遷。不再甘於只是為好萊塢電影搭布景或提供臨時演員，中國的電影公司協助世界級電影和動畫片的開發、設計和製作。它們想要在創意過程扮演更大角色，這將讓它們獲得更多回報。
“Kung Fu Panda 3” is the first collaboration between Hollywood’s DreamWorks Animation and its Chinese partner, Oriental DreamWorks, which is partly owned by a government investment fund and a private equity firm, China Media Capital. DreamWorks Animation has taken the lead in the creative and design work for the animated feature, which is scheduled for release in early 2016. Oriental DreamWorks contributes by adding Chinese elements, creating storyboards and building parts of the 3-D digital sets.
《功夫熊貓3》是好萊塢的夢工廠動畫電影公司及其中國合作夥伴東方夢工廠的首個合作項目。東方夢工廠的股東包括一個政府投資基金和一家私募公司－華人文化產業投資基金。夢工廠動畫負責電影的創意和設計，該片訂於2016年初發行。東方夢工廠負責為影片添加中國元素、製作分鏡表，以及打造部分的立體數位場景。
“We’re trying to develop Chinese creative talents,” says James Fong, the chief executive of Oriental DreamWorks.
「我們正在努力培養中國的創意人才，」東方夢工廠的首席執行官方淦說。
It is part of a broader push by China Media Capital into the entertainment business. Over the last few years, the investment firm has made deals with Warner Bros. and the IMAX Corporation of Canada. For American companies, such collaborations offer access to new talent and production deals that provide greater access to China’s market, which is expected to surpass the United States as the world’s biggest film market. With China adding an average of 15 cinema screens every day, the country’s box office brought in $4.8 billion last year, tripling in size since 2010, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
這是「華人文化產業投資基金」進軍娛樂業宏圖的一部分。過去幾年，這家投資公司與華納兄弟及加拿大的IMAX公司完成數筆交易。對美國企業來說，可藉由這樣的合作接觸新人才，並達成更有利於進入中國市場的製作合約。預計幾年之後，中國就會超過美國，成為全世界最大的電影市場。中國平均每天新增15個電影放映廳。根據美國電影協會的數據，中國去年的票房收入達到48億美元，是2010年的三倍。
The rapidly growing market is reshaping the way Hollywood deals with China. Some of America’s biggest television and movie production houses are pushing into China with joint ventures, partnerships and financing projects. Lionsgate, the American studio that produced “The Hunger Games,” has licensing and financing deals with Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, and Hunan TV, a Chinese state-owned broadcaster.
這個快速成長的市場正在重塑好萊塢與中國做生意的方式。某些美國的大型影視製作公司通過合資、合夥以及融資，進軍中國市場。製作《飢餓遊戲》的美國電影公司獅門已經與中國電子商業巨擘阿里巴巴，以及國有的湖南電視台簽訂授權和融資協議。
“The center of gravity is shifting so rapidly from Hollywood to China,” says Rob Cain, a consultant who runs Chinafilmbiz.com. “And it’s not just that the audience is going to come from China; so is the capital.”
「重心正以極快速度從好萊塢轉向中國，」中國電影業務網的經營者、行銷顧問甘敏中說。「來自中國的將不只是觀眾，還有資本。」
As global filmmakers look to gain entry to the market, they must now consider the tastes and preferences of a Chinese audience, and the wishes of the Communist Party.
尋求進入中國市場的時候，全球的電影工作者現在必須考慮中國觀眾的品味和偏好，以及共產黨的心願。
“Because of the importance of the Chinese market to Hollywood, no one wants to make movies that offend China,” says T.J. Green, a former Warner Bros. executive. “Some may see that as self-censorship.”
「因為中國市場對好萊塢十分重要，誰都不想拍出冒犯中國的電影，」華納兄弟的前高管T.J.格林說。「某些人可能會認為這是自我審查。」
Authorities have also made clear that they want China to develop its own powerhouse studios. Major Chinese studios are already taking shape. Alibaba has a studio called Alibaba Pictures. The China Film Group has its own production bases. China Media Capital brought in new partners to develop a $3.1 billion “Dream Center,” a cultural and entertainment district in Shanghai.
當局明確表示想讓中國發展自己的大型影視企業。中國的大型影業公司已經成形。阿里巴巴旗下有一家阿里巴巴影業集團有限公司。中國電影集團有自己的製作基地。「華人文化產業投資基金」帶進新的夥伴，以31億美元在上海開發名為「夢中心」的文化娛樂區。
At the Oriental DreamWorks studio, most of the 260 employees are working on elements of “Kung Fu Panda 3.” The characters’ mouths and jaws are being animated for two languages, English for most audiences and Mandarin for cinemas in China.
在東方夢工廠的工作室，260名員工中的大部分人都在從事與《功夫熊貓3》有關的重要細節。角色的嘴巴和下巴的動畫製作係針對兩種語言設計，大部分觀眾是英語，中國院線則說漢語。
“We want to leverage the best of the Hollywood creativity with the best Chinese characteristics,” said Mr. Fong of Oriental DreamWorks. “We make it faster, do it cheaper, and in the end do something really innovative.”
「我們想用最好的中國特色來徹底發揮好萊塢創造力的精華，」東方夢工廠的方淦說。「我們做得更快、成本更低，最後做出真正創新的東西。」
（張佑生譯）
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