Chen Kexin: The Internet will be a paradise for future filmmakers

Chen Kexin suggested that the industry should seek a balance between "craftsmanship spirit" and "market". He believes that the Internet will be the paradise for future filmmakers to create.

Recently, at the theme forum of the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival "Creating China Films with Craftsman Spirit", famous director Chen Kexin suggested that the industry should seek a balance between "Craftsman Spirit" and "Market." He believes that the Internet will be the paradise for future filmmakers to create.

Making movies based on big data is a vicious cycle

. At the main forum of the Shanghai Film Festival, Chen Kexin joined hands with famous director Feng Xiaogang, writer and screenwriter Liu Zhenyun, film researcher Dai Jinhua and writer Zhang Dachun to sincerely share and keep golden sentences.

Chen Kexin admitted that although his two recent films,"July and Ansheng" and "Like You", have both achieved good box office results and excellent reputation, he still feels the tremendous pressure from the market.

He said that many times the film team spends two or three years seriously making a movie, but the fate of the movie depends on its luck a day or two after it is released. The factors that affect the fate of a movie include the audience's mentality at the time, social issues, weather, mood, opponents, whether opponents have slandered you, etc. If any factor or factors caused the box office to be poor on the first day and the next day, the movie would soon not be scheduled in the movie theater.

Chen Kexin lamented that ten years ago, everyone thought that when the number of cinemas and screens increased, the audience would be diverted, and different types of films would be able to find their own audiences, and the types of films would become richer as a result. But this is not the case-the more screens there are, the fewer film genres that can survive in theaters, and they are even basically concentrated in a few categories.

"Although there are many different audiences in China, the audience does not have many choices. In fact, film markets around the world have such problems. But this problem will not be solved better because the larger the market is. It will only get worse and worse." Chen Kexin said that one of the major consequences of this situation is that current capital and markets will force filmmakers to make films based on so-called big data, forcing filmmakers to make films that maximize benefits, leading to more films on the market. Convergence, like a vicious cycle. "But today's talk about 'maximizing benefits' is not the maximizing benefits of three years ago. The current 'benefit maximization' is to recover costs, and recovering costs has become to maximize benefits. Because many movies have lost money this year, in fact, movies have entered a cold winter."

Making movies with the spirit of craftsmanship and finding a way out on the Internet

. So, how can China filmmakers get rid of the current situation of being coerced by the market? How can China films truly created with the spirit of craftsmanship find their own audiences and gain market recognition? Chen Kexin believes that a way out may be found on the Internet.

"We hate cinemas, film arrangements, and theater lines. We think that they don't give them a chance and let years of hard work be lost in one day. But in fact, cinemas and theaters also have operating costs. They also have real estate kidnappings, wages kidnappings, distribution kidnappings, etc., which makes cinemas have to try their best to keep them full from morning to night. This is the reality that filmmakers have to face."

Chen Kexin cited "July and Ansheng" as an example: This movie has nearly 170 million at the box office in theaters and is watched by about 4 million viewers. However, on the Internet, the number of viewers on a video platform reaches 60 million in a week.

"July and Ansheng"

"I think the Internet may be a way out." Chen Kexin said that young viewers actually grew up on the Internet. As long as there is good content and a screen as small as a mobile phone, they can still watch it with full attention. "Only the Internet can really divert movies and audiences, because the Internet has no cost."

Chen Kexin also emphasized that finding a way out on the Internet does not mean giving up cinemas. As a director, he will continue to defend theaters, but obviously other possibilities can also be explored. For example, if a movie is released simultaneously in a movie theater and on the Internet, or if you go to the movie theater first and then online, these can give filmmakers a better way to make movies and tell stories.

"Movies have been made for so many years, have stage dramas died? There are still stage plays. In fact, I think these things can coexist. We can't change what the audience decides to watch, but the Internet will give us a diversion space." Chen Kexin also said that looking for exports from the Internet is not just for the market. In fact, as a director, you can make a movie in great detail, but it is only limited by the length of theater screenings. If you can't finish telling a theme or a story in two hours, you can shoot it for 3 hours, 8 hours, or even several seasons. "I don't call this an 'online drama', I think it should be called a 'free-length movie'. This is the way out for film craftsmen. You have to do your job best. If you don't believe that the American dramas you have watched in the past five years are definitely better than American movies. In fact, that's our way out."

Editor: Mary