2020, domestic cinemas first experienced nearly half a year of closure, and then they slowly resumed work. Although several films performed well, they still failed to meet expectations.
In foreign countries, streaming media led by NetflixNetflix) continues to divide the market for traditional movies. It can be foreseeable that in the future, heavyweight awards such as the three major European film festival awards, the Golden Globes and the Oscars will continue to be captured by streaming media.
When traditional filmmakers turn to streaming media, the traditional movie viewing form marked by the theater will gradually become the same existence as paper books - it will not disappear, but it is more like a sentiment.
Another interesting phenomenon is that the popularity of "Actors Please Take Place" and "I Am an Actor" has led to discussions on "film sense". Most of the clips selected in these variety shows are from classic movies, and the audience's praise for the quality of the short film is "XXXX is very cinematic."
This is undoubtedly a contradiction. In an era when entertainment and variety shows are no longer so important, and most of our time is divided. Well-made high-quality dramas can directly challenge the movies, people still have an obsession with movies.
✎Author | Zongcheng
✎Excerpt | Cheng Chi
major director Christopher Nolan was completely angered by the long-term cooperation Warner movie at the end of 2020.
On December 8, Nolan criticized a major decision by film and television giant Warner Bros. and called Warner-led HBO Max "the worst streaming media."
Before this, Warner announced that all 17 movies released in 2021 will be premiered online and offline in a synchronous manner.
In other words, HBO Max members can broadcast heavy productions such as " Matrix 4", "Suicide Squad 2", " Dune ", "Mortal Kombat", " Godzilla vs. King Kong ", "Cats and Mouses", and "Highland Life" on the Internet as soon as possible.
Warner said that it was the epidemic that prompted them to make this decision, which is a "win-win for movie lovers and screeners."
But Nolan said on social media: "The greatest producers and the best actors in our industry think they are working for the best film company before going to bed, but when they wake up in the morning, they find that they are working for the worst streaming media!"
Director Christopher Nolan, his representative works "Batman Dark Knight Trilogy", " Interstellar ", " Creed ", etc. Photo/Douban
soon. Nolan explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: "All this is unbelievable, especially the way they do this. They did not inform anyone in advance, which led to a lot of debate now... You should not treat people who work hard like this. You should consult and communicate with them about how the work will be treated."
Nolan's anger is the tip of the iceberg that streaming media has hit theater movies in recent years. From Netflix's strong rise to capital giants such as Apple, Disney, and Warner, the big director Spielberg "declares war" on streaming movies, and now Nolan's protests. The deterrence of streaming to the film industry can be seen.
And Nolan's opinion represents the views of many film practitioners, that is, in the long run, capital support for streaming will cause a devastating blow to cinemas, which not only greatly reduces the attendance rate of theaters, but also causes films that pursue audio-visual effects to miss their best screening platforms - such as Nolan's " Dunkirk " and "Creedy".
major online video streaming media platforms in the United States, picture/"The rise and impact of American streaming platforms and non-themed movies"
It can be said that streaming media ultimately leads not to the demise of the film industry, but a revolution to theater movies. In the future, we will see streaming movies that are exquisite, compact and cater to the audience, but those attempts that boldly provoke the audience's experience will be more difficult than in the past.
Goodbye, the Golden Age of Cinema
The so-called streaming media refers to the media format that uses streaming to play in Internet/Intranet, which broadly includes audio, video or multimedia files. In the film industry, people often refer to online video platforms that broadcast movies and TV series on the Internet or mobile terminals, which represent HBO, Netflix, Disney+, etc.
The money-burning war between streaming giants had already begun before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2007, Netflix launched the streaming "non-the-schieves" distribution business. has since created surprises again and again with series such as " House of Cards ", "Kingdom", and "Black Mirror", and successively launched " Rome " and " Irishman " in 2018 and 2019, demonstrating its ambition to make art movies.
In the face of the impact of emerging streaming media, veteran film and television companies have established their own streaming media, such as Disney-controlled Disney+ platform, Warner Bros. HBO Max, NBC Universal Peacock, Apple TV, etc. Warner Bros. will sync the streaming of new movies, which is the product of this background. "Rome" produced by Netflix proves that streaming movies can be very artistic
In the past, when streaming media only mass-produced high-quality web dramas, theater movies did not feel that winter was coming, but when new movies were first released to stream media, the film industry really felt that a huge change was coming. The most typical example of
in China is that Xu Zheng 's "囧妈 " was delayed to Xigua Video, and the cinema chain launched a joint boycott of "囧妈". The convenience of streaming media is obvious. Whether it is from the viewing cost, from the video progress, sound and external environment, and even the double-speed playback function, it is an advantage that theaters cannot match.
In comparison, the biggest advantage of theaters is time first. The movies are released in the cinema for the first time, and resources are not allowed to be leaked on the Internet during the release period. This is a rigid rule in the film industry and a means for theaters to rely on for a living.
The most popular era of Chinese physical films is not today, but when the Internet is not yet on the rise. At that time, watching a movie was both romantic and face-saving. Watching a movie became the most cost-effective ceremony for the people.
Therefore, lovers love to go to the cinema when they date, family reunion, and holiday relaxation. The best box office of Chinese movies is also family and romance films.
However, as time goes by and life is rich, there are more and more substitutes for movies. Watching movies has become an ordinary and cost-effective way. Compared to movies with ticket prices of 50 to 70 or 80 yuan, many people would rather pass the time by playing games or watching online videos.As a result, games and short videos have become capital red oceans, and movies are irreversible when they enter streaming media.
Half Before the movie was first released on streaming, the movie analysis videos that could be seen everywhere on the Internet had already killed many people's enthusiasm for watching movies.
Kodak film, a generation of movie memories
further said that the dilemma of the film industry was already hidden as early as the early days of the digital age. The digital age created a golden period of movie box office, but when capital is unstoppable to the digital wave, the digital age is destined to become a gravedigger for traditional theater movies.
When capital finds that streaming is more profitable, audiences also spend more time on streaming media. It is only a matter of time before streaming media replaces theaters and becomes the mainstream of the film market.
As early as the beginning of this century, when Hollywood gradually abandoned 35mm film shooting and transformed into digitalization, the film industry had already undergone a drastic change.
In the era of 35mm film production and screening, in order to make a profit, film and television producers will follow the form of investment → shooting → finishing film → editing → passing review → theater screening. Audiences must go to the cinema to see the movie, otherwise they will have to wait at least one month before they can wait until the resources on the Internet flow out.
Zhang Yimou 's "One Second" is an elegy to the film era. Photo/Douban
But when the movie went digital, 35mm film began to be deprecated, Kodak went bankrupt, and the film shooting and editing began to be streamed. An intuitive data is: In 2010, 68% of global theater screens use the 35mm format. But by 2015, 35 mm accounted for only 17%.
Many great directors miss the film era because the film movies are more grainy and have a better viewing experience. However, the high cost and cumbersome process of film shooting have brought it to the edge. For investors, more cost-effective digitalization is the first choice. The same goes for streaming.
As early as ten years ago, someone sighed that "movies are dead" because of the end of the film era. Now, what may be comforting for movie fans is that the movie not only does not die, but also has launched self-updation under the pressure of digitalization.
From the 3D visual experience used by James Cameron in " Avatar ", to the 120-frame/4K/3D screening of Ang Lee's lonely roaming in " Gemini Killer ", to the RPG-style live-action game experience practiced by Sam Wenders in "1917", film practitioners are still trying their best to recall movie fans back to the cinema in the face of the crisis.
movie "1917" stills
When TV series is getting more and more like movies
Martin Scorsese once said: "Movies are an art form that brings a new experience to the audience."
Hospital movies are proud of because they have audio-visual advantages that streaming media cannot match. Only when viewers go to the cinema can they feel the ultimate movie enjoyment.
But a cruel fact is: For most people, compared to the ultimate audio-visual enjoyment, they would rather sacrifice a little audio-visual effect in exchange for the benefits of free viewing.
Therefore, except for epoch-making visual blockbusters like "Avatar", most commercial movies, their audio-visual language will not give the audience a reason to have to go to the cinema.
Xu Zheng's "囧妈" will be a trend of small and medium-sized investment cost commercial films. Instead of fighting hard in the cinema, it is better to go online to ensure guaranteed funds in streaming media.
In the future, cinema chains will first experience a round of bubble squeezing pain. Chinese movies are going through a slow period of cold shrinkage after experiencing a fanatical money-burning war. In the mainland market this year, the box office of famous directors such as "Creedy", "King Kong River" and "One Second" reflects the decline in audience enthusiasm for theaters, and this cannot be simply explained by the epidemic.
The number of viewers in November 2020 was much lower than in 2014. Photo/Yiyu Observation
Post-epidemic era, audiences are no longer so happy to go to the cinema, which has become the new normal in the industry. Streaming, games, piracy, and home TV have formed an army of shared diversion of cinema users. The pursuit of instant interaction (such as barrage), fast pace (double-speed playback) and social atmosphere has made them no longer regard cinemas as their first choice for entertainment.
Cinema will be like physical books, facing a long period of transformation and decline after the golden age. In this context, capital will not choose to hold on to the feelings of cinemas, but accept the facts and launch a new round of fighting in streaming media.
In order to cater to the audience and win this round of capital war, future streaming movies will pursue dramatic and curiousness, and even split the movies to form a unit series with a movie texture.
We used to say that TV series is not a movie because it does not have a "movie sense", but in recent years, the selling point of many new dramas is the so-called "movie sense". Foreign ones such as "My Genius Girlfriend", " Western World ", and "Kingdom", domestic ones such as "White Night Chasing", "The Secret Corner", " Silent Truth ", etc., pursues the production of genre short dramas in the film texture, which has become a trend of streaming media production. Stills of "My Genius Girlfriend" produced by
HBO. Photo/Douban
However, streaming movies are likely to make the audience who are no longer patient in this era become more anxious. They will get used to the taste of fast food and stay in the comfort zone of their own viewing experience. They may want to quickly forward a movie within ten minutes. If a movie starts without appeal, they will be ruthlessly closed.
When the medium changes our viewing patience and solidifies our viewing aesthetics through repeated catering, perhaps, what we look at will will be the product of fast pace, and profound and soothing expressions become scarce.
The patience of the audience is weakened, and soothing art movies like "Scenery in the Fog" are rare now
The patience of the audience is weakened, and soothing art movies like "Scenery in the Fog" are rare now
Streaming is not a worry-free
In the era of streaming, the decline of cinemas is the general trend, but it is too early to say that it ends. After all, in order to make a profit, most large film productions still choose to start in cinemas, and the re-release of New Year films, promotional films, comic-adapted IP films and classic films will still support theater movies to maintain their basic foundation. In the short term, streaming media and theaters will compete with each other, but no one can replace each other.
In addition, streaming media itself also has hidden dangers. For example, in the second quarter of 2020, although Netflix's paid subscription users increased by 10 million, it did not bring corresponding profits to Netflix. Netflix announced a second-quarter earnings per share of only $1.59, lower than the market expectations of $1.82. After the second quarter report was released, Netflix's stock price fell by more than 10% after the market closed.
Today's streaming media market is that companies will die if they don't burn money, but they may not survive if they burn money. Even experienced players like Netflix still face the risk of huge debts. They spent a lot of money to produce original series, but they have not found other stable profit models except for users to pay. Although there are many high-quality dramas in
Netflix, it is not like HBO has a phenomenal hit drama like " Game of Thrones ". According to statistics from the New York Times, since the screening of in 2011, the "Game of Thrones" series has brought HBO more than $1 billion in revenue each year.
And the financial report analysis of "Investment Pulse": "Now Netflix's debt-to-equity ratio (long-term liabilities divided by owner's equity) is close to 1.7. If future user growth cannot keep up with the momentum of spending money today, the company's financial situation will inevitably deteriorate."
Netflix expects user growth to slow down in the second half of the year. Picture/Company Quarterly Report
is Apple TV more stressed than Netflix. The tech giant's streaming media has invested heavily, but by September this year, the global streaming device market accounted for only 2%.
in the past two years have successively launched self-produced dramas such as "For All Mankind", "Morning News" and "Banker", but the thunder and rain are good, and it has not copied the successes that Netflix has achieved. Compared to Netflix, Apple TV is more like the fate of most streaming players, spending huge sums of money and ending up with the prince to study. Although "Morning News" produced by
Apple invited Aniston and Witherspoon, it did not achieve the expected results.
At the same time, although all data this year are not good for theater movies, its main background is the new crown epidemic rather than the rise of streaming media. Streaming media has already entered the market many years ago, and it has squeezed the market for theater movies to a certain extent, but has not caused a devastating blow before the epidemic.
In the Chinese market, 2017 to 2019 was once the golden period of movie box office. Data compiled by the National Film Special Investment Office and the Huajing Industry Research Institute showed:
" Since 2013, the number of cinemas in China has been growing continuously, but the growth rate has continued to decline. In 2018, the number of cinemas in China was 10,835, a year-on-year increase of 15.07%; in 2019, the number of cinemas in China was 10,835, a year-on-year increase of 15.07%; in 2019, the number of cinemas was 10,835, a year-on-year increase of 15.07%; in 2019, the number of cinemas was 19,000. The number reached 12,408, an increase of 14.52% year-on-year. In 2019, the number of moviegoers nationwide reached 1.73 billion, but the growth rate slowed down significantly compared with the past few years. Especially in some months when box office sales rose, the number of moviegoers still declined. ”
pictures/National Film Special Investment Office, Huajing Industry Research Institute
These signs indicate that there is a serious bubble in Chinese cinemas. Even without the impact of streaming media, the Chinese film market will have bad consequences, and the bubble will be exposed sooner or later. The new crown epidemic and streaming media only make this day come early.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, theater movies may gradually become like physical books and will not die, but their share will shrink to a fixed stock.
And streaming media is like an e-book, a short video of the movie interpretation that finishes the plot in a few minutes, just like the current lecture and listening columns.
In the movie "One Second", the protagonist played by Zhang Yi went through hardships and gave him film just to watch that second on the screen. Today, in the sunset of the golden age of cinemas, the best way for movie fans to support movies is actually to go to the cinema, even for just one second.
"Great Movie I II"
If, you also love movies...
"Great Movie I II"
[US] Roger Ibert
ideal country | Guangxi Normal University Press
2012-5
100 great movies are outstanding comments from the most prestigious and trustworthy film critic Roger Ibert in the United States. The film he commented on really presents the greatness of the film in his opinion.
For the past years, Roger Ibert has written comments for a "Great Movie" every other week, giving fresh and enthusiastic praise. The book "Great Movie" selects 100 of them, each of which is a refinement of comments and appreciation, a combination of love, analysis and history. They allow readers to recall (or take a sneak peek) of the films commented with a new look and rekindled enthusiasm. Ibert's film reviews cover a wide range of films, eras and countries, from supreme classic works in the history of film art to entertainment works that are deeply loved by the audience. In the article, Roger Ibert successfully integrated scholars' profound film knowledge, pure aesthetic judgment and clear appreciation text, and accompanied by precious stills selected by Marie Corris, the head of the Film Department of the Museum of Modern Art, making this book a treasure trove for all film lovers and audiences and an unparalleled viewing guide.
"Scenery in the Fog: Chinese Film Culture 1978-1998"
Dai Jinhua The film phenomenon involved in "Scenery in the Fog" runs through the 20-year history of the new era in China - from the Leaning Tower at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, after the landless hesitation at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, it lasts through the entire 1990s and the last time the new century is approaching. This is 20 years of historic transition in China's society. As a cultural representation, film reflects the symptoms of the entire social ideology. With his own understanding of this era, relying on his skillful operation of theoretical weapons and his keen perception of film texts, and using dense images to outline the picture of this era, has become a necessary text for studying films in the new era.
"Movie Noir"
[US] James Naremore
Hu Zhanxiong Translation
ideal country | China Academy of Fine Arts Press
2020-8
film noir is undoubtedly one of the most amorphous categories in movies. The "Film Noir" born in Hollywood, America, has a romantic French name "Film Noir". In fact, film noir almost never had a chance to "Romantic". When it comes to "movie noir", the easiest thing to think of are those stylized, anger-inspiring Hollywood black-and-white movies in the 1940s and 1950s - melodramas about private detectives, femme fatalies, criminal gangsters, and desperate couples. "Movie Noir" does not shy away from these films, but James Naremore also pointed out to us: the term "Movie Noir" is far more complex and contradictory than we know. It is an important film legacy and an idea that we project into the past.
"Story: Material, Structure, Style and Principles of Screen Drama"
[US] Robert McGee
月国后国月小子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子子� Tianjin People's Publishing House
2014-9
"Stories" is different from other popular monographs about screen plays. It discusses form rather than formulas. Using more than a hundred films as examples, McGee teaches readers the principle of screen play that transcends deadly dogmas and discovers the components of famous works that make them outstanding but often overlooked. McGee starts with the basic concept—what is beat? Scene? Scene sequence? The climax of the curtain? The climax of the video? ——not only expounds the mystery of the standard three-act dramatic structure, but also unveils the mystery of atypical structures—such as two-act, seven-act, and even eight-act films—that points out the limitations of each genre, emphasizing the importance of theme, background and atmosphere, and the importance of character and character shaping as a pair of relative concepts.
"Ten Years of Awakening Movie Dream: Biography of Ang Lee"
jan 6
jan 6
CITIC Publishing House
2013-4
"Ten Years of Awakening Movie Dream" is a director Ang Lee telling the story of his first decade of dream pursuit in his film career in the first person oral way. This is not only a confession of the growth of a filmmaker who insists on "immortality", but also a self-dialogue that explores "how to face hardships and glory".
American Time magazine said that Ang Lee was awarded the title of "the most influential arts and entertainment person in the world" and deserves it.
Zhang Yimou said that the director who walks easily in the Eastern and Western worlds is probably the only one in the Chinese film industry.
Chen Wenqian said that Ang Lee finally jumped to the top and became a director that no one can ignore in the Eastern and Western film worlds.
stood at the peak of glory, but Ang Lee told everyone through "Ten Years of Awakening Movie Dream" that in his eyes, he was "a useless person".
Ann Li lived very clearly. He said, I really only know how to be a director and do nothing else.
"Ten Years of Awakening Movie Dream" tells the story of a director's self-cultivation, a man's conquest and tenderness.
Today's interaction
Have you been to the cinema this year? Do you often use streaming to watch movies?
