Honeymoon Period of 2014 Sino-French Movies (I): Love and Sorrow in Co-production
Special feature of 1905 film network This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. No matter the films shown in the cinema or the co-production projects, the audience can obviously feel the continuous warming of Sino-French cooperation, from the initial ambiguity to the great show of love today. On the one hand, French films such as Beauty and the Beast, Don’t Mess with Me, Superbody, and Wild Africa 3D have entered the cinema one after another to "get in touch" with the China audience, on the other hand, various types of Sino-French co-production projects are also in full swing. The standard Sino-French co-production The Nightingale was selected to represent China in the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and jean jacques annaud’s Wolf Totem, which took seven years, is about to debut in the Lunar New Year’s Eve. There are also many co-productions in progress, such as the creative animation The Prince and the 108 Evil Men and the magic film The Gate of the Warrior. The future cooperation space is still expanding.
In response to this year’s upsurge of Sino-French film cooperation, 1905 Film Network exclusively interviewed Ning Ning, the producer of Nightingale in China, Mark Gao, the chairman of Jimei Film, jean jacques annaud, the director of Wolf Totem, and Isabel Granchet, the representative of Greater China of the French Film Alliance, and deeply dissected the multi-faceted cooperation of Sino-French films. From now on, it will be divided into Sino-French co-productions (Part I), Sino-French multi-faceted film cooperation (Part II) and Sino-French film cooperation.
[How did it hit it off? 】I like your box office market, and you like my international style.
Gu Hongming, a famous scholar in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, once said in the book Spirit of Chinese: "In my opinion, it seems that only the French can best understand the real civilization of Chinese and China." The French always has a little unruly free will when making movies, and this romantic feeling in his bones directly affects the way they cooperate with other countries.
In the words of director jean jacques annaud, they are more willing to "follow a good story to make a film" and go deep into other countries’ cultures, and don’t particularly care whether there are obvious French elements and French actors in the film. Isabel thinks this is a "very romantic way" for the French. Of the films that French audiences see every year, 17% of the film investment comes from the co-production system. French directors have rich experience in co-production. For them, it seems natural to go to other countries to shoot and present the humanistic customs of other countries. At the same time, the China film market, which has rapidly grown into the second largest ticket warehouse in the world, has unlimited opportunities and unlimited banknotes.
For China, to strengthen cultural soft power, more channels are needed to support cultural output. Co-production is a clever way to increase international vision and viewpoint. While we are co-producing, we also hope that the film can reflect the story of China culture and China, and it is better to have China actors in Chinese dialogue. As a result, this hit-it-off cooperation concept makes Sino-French film cooperation seem sweet and tacit.
Isabel:A Sino-French co-production can have no French feeling at all. For example, the first film co-produced by China and FranceI 11You didn’t know it was a French film because you couldn’t see where the French was and the French was behind the scenes. The Nightingale is the same. You won’t think that it was shot by the French, but you can feel some French elements in it.
China’s rule is the other way around, and relevant institutions in China hope to see China’s story and China’s actors on the screen. It may also be because of such different requirements that our cooperation is very tacit. Because for the French, it can be an actor from China or a story from China. the French welcomes such a co-production, and because of this, we think The Nightingale is particularly successful.
[Go, go to the box office in France! 】The criteria for co-production between China and France are quite different.
Since the first Sino-French co-production film "Kite" came out in 1958, co-production as an important film production mode has been paid much attention. In 2010, China and France signed a film co-production agreement. Last year, five films were approved by the Chinese side, including Wolf Totem, Night Peacock, Rainbow at Starry Night, Looking for Romai and The Gate of Film and Television. In the words of Mark Gao, chairman of Jimei Film, the signing of the Sino-French Co-production Agreement "gives a standard from the industry, so that both sides have normative documents to follow, which is also beneficial to the whole financial arrangement for China, such as investment ratio and inclination, which is more conducive to promoting cooperation in some films."
To be a Sino-French co-production, a film must be made in both China and France.Co-project, that’s much more demanding.In China, we must follow the "28 principle": in terms of investment, neither country can be less than 20%; In terms of production mode, the China-based team must have a certain proportion of the French, and the French-based team must also have a certain number of Chinese. France’s project requirements are more specific, and they need to be strictly graded: "How many points do directors, screenwriters and recording teams have, and everything must add up to more than 25 points to sign a Sino-French co-production, so as to be released and distributed in France according to French films and enjoy all the benefits and treatment of French films." Ning Ning explained: "There is also a requirement in France that the final subtitles should prevail. For example, when you set up a project, you said that you would use someone, but you don’t need him in actual operation (it is impossible). There will be various departments in France to strictly review it. Finally, when the whole film is submitted for review, it will be reviewed with reference to your previous approval. "
[Dual nationality takes advantage to get soft! 】Tax subsidies and support policies enjoy the treatment of domestic films.
If the combination of Chinese and French cultures lays a good foundation for cooperation, then the advantages of larger box office market space and copyright sales are undoubtedly colorful candy that tempts producers. The signing of the Sino-French Film Co-production Agreement not only helps more French films to enter China, the second largest ticket warehouse in the hot world, but also directly promotes the release and copyright sales of China films in Europe. Promote the exchange between Chinese and French filmmakers, and at the same time further promote the diversified development of world movies.
Ningning:To put it bluntly, the advantage of co-production between China and France is that it has dual nationality. In China, it is a domestic film, while in France, it is a French film. Because it belongs to a local film in each country, it enjoys the supporting policies and preferential policies that each country should have for films, including its own tax subsidy policy. In China, we release domestic films, so we just enjoy a share of more than 43%, unlike the importer who can only get about 25%.
At the same time, because he is a co-producer, he will be more international in film temperament and have more advantages in the sales of international copyright. At present, the films we make are more to meet the local demand than the demand of the international film market, so in recent years, China’s films will always be a little acclimatized in the international market. Co-productions such as The Nightingale are more in line with international tastes. By October, we have sold 11 countries and regions. Although the film is not big, it is quite remarkable from the current figures of international copyright sales. The film has been shown in Israel and Korea now. Like the film festival, we can participate in competitions such as the China Watch Award and Hundred Flowers Award in China, and we can also participate in French film promotion activities. This dual nature gives more opportunities for film promotion and distribution.
Mark Gao:Because in France, as long as a Sino-French co-production is a French film, French television stations will support it. From the early investment of the film, there will be more protection. In China, co-productions as China films will also have preferential policies, which will actually promote the cooperation between film creators of the two countries. It is also easier to consider the whole investment arrangement.
Jean jacques annaud:There is a proportional standard for TV reception in Europe. If this is a China film, it will be classified as a foreign film. In this part, China films will compete with many American films every year, and it is difficult to be the first choice for European film stations. However, if this is a co-production film and is regarded as a European film, there will be less competition, especially for a blockbuster like Wolf Totem, which is rarely produced as large as ours, so it will be easily accepted by European TV stations, which means a lot of money in Europe. Because it’s not just a screening in a movie theater, but it will last for several years, which makes it bring a lot of money to investors. Moreover, China filmmakers also get French subsidies, and the funds obtained from this cooperation come from different sources.
The "support policy" of French TV stations mentioned by Mark Gao, chairman of Jimmy Film, and the "subsidy" mentioned by Arnold are actually the protection measures of the French government for local films. The French government will provide subsidies of about 250 million euros for the film and television industry every year. Because the Sino-French co-production belongs to French films, it is stipulated that the state should "take care of" this film and give cinemas and distributors corresponding support funds. However, it should be noted that this "benefit" is limited to France. If you want to enjoy this kind of treatment in the whole of Europe, it is not enough to turn into a co-production, but also a foreign language film. It is difficult for China actors to enjoy the treatment of European films and get subsidies in Europe.
Isabel(Whether Chinese-French co-productions are more conducive to distribution in Europe) It still depends on the language. If it is in Chinese, it may only be bigger in the French market, because it is still a French movie when it is broadcast on TV. French TV stations, like China, have a clear stipulation that 60% of European films (40% of which are French films) and the rest are foreign films. China and the United States are both included in foreign films, so they will definitely choose more American blockbusters in the choice of Chinese and American films, because they want to attract audiences. Therefore, Sino-French co-productions have more advantages when they are purchased by French TV stations.