LEARN FROM FOREIGN MARKETS

For decades Hollywood film learned cinematic and story style from France, Italy, and Germany.  In a decade we learned from Japan and China in their most cinematic eras.  We celebrated films from these companies at film festivals.  But politics stalled China’s filmmaking for a few decades.  Things changed when Wanda built out the theater chains and film profits turned into a strong revenue source for China as a nation. They became the biggest investor in Hollywood. Our Comic Book films and Fast and Furious topped the box office; however, they were not the biggest money makers in China. Small domestic films that had tastes of China’s fast-evolving culture or were based on fundamental Chinese beliefs on what makes a person a finer example for humanity.   While Hollywood films had people transform into some super hero, most Chinese super heroes found their super qualities within them and they were activated by the best human traits like generosity, compassion, and balancing our minds and bodies.  Chinese investment in Hollywood and the number of films they allowed in under their quota system fell not because Chinese government hated Americans, they fell because their filmmakers produced movies with more cinematic value and they found their heroes in Chinese actors and Chinese-oriented stories.

To make this less political, instead of looking at China and the United States as different nations, look at them as different demographics.  Divided by age first, since every generation is slightly different and it does not hold any stigmas.  See how well they feed their young people films that have long stories about how to be a better person and parent when they grow up.  Hollywood was full of those films until they pretty much denied all the mid-budget films from $10-30 million, using the cost of advertising as the reason. 

I traveled to China for many years, starting with “The Quest” in Hong Kong.  Salon Films was my guide into Chinese culture and filmmaking.  I did not realize it but I sat at a dinner with more than one of the heads of the clans of the famous Five Dragons of Hong Kong.   These clans saw films as a way to improve life in China.  What I realized later was I had learned from the Chinese to appreciate the Power of Story more.  I met a nation excited to be given the freedom to create art in filmmaking and use the story to inspire and nurture what gives a human being meaning.   And as much as I advised Chinese filmmakers, producers, teachers, and actors I learned from them so much.  

The following films are some of the most profitable per-dollar investment in China’s film history.  Many were also critically acclaimed for story, acting, and production values.  These films were hits because of their Power of Story as much as for their comedy, scares, or famous actors and actresses.

The Best of Chinese Films, Talent, and Companies

The Postmodern Life of My Aunt, Color of the Truth, Bodyguards and Assassins, Crazy in the City by Yuen Sai-sang, Bullets over Summer, Beast Stalker by Dante Lam.

Running on Karma.  The Midnight After, by Fruit Chan Gor.  Overheard. Gallants KJ, by Cheung King-Jeng.  Unbeatable by Dante Lam, Kung Fu Hustle, Beast Cops, PTU Lam Suet, Detective Dee and The Mystery of the Phantom Flame.   Accidentally, by Soi Cheang Pouson, The Mission by Johnnie To,  Duckweed, This Is Not What I Expected, Meow, Shock Wave, SPL: Paradox, Our Time Will Come, The Village Of No Return, Bad Genius (Thai.) The Great Buddha, Youth, The Thousand Faces of Dunjia, Mad Detective, by Johnnie To, Absurd Accident, by Li Yuhe, Free and Easy, by Jen, A Traveling Soap Salesman and Crooks.  

Many of these following films were made in Hong Kong to restore diversion by Fruit Chan of the Triads in old Hong Kong.  A Young Couple, Tian Meng Director.  Liu Siming, of Tudou’s Original programming center deserves credit for improving films.  Old Boys.  Taking of Tiger Mountain.  Young Detective D.   Let the Bullets Fly, Gone With The Bullets, The Last Bladesman, Devil is on the Doorstep, In the Heat Of The Sun, Free and Easy, Absurd Accident, Overheard, Gallants, Beast Cops. PTU, A Young Coupler, Old Boys, Accident, The Mission, Unbeatable, Mad Detective, Color of Truth, Bodyguards and Assassins, Crazy In The city, The Midnight After, Taking of Tiger Mountain, Color of Love, In the Mood for Love, The Lover, Crazy Alien, Wandering Earth, Ne Zha. Learn from this list because China made tens of billions in profits for their investors by betting on films that were NOT mega-budget or Marvel movies. 

There is even more to learn from China about the future of healthy film investing for our new revival of Hollywood investing from China.

Also include television hits as:  If You Are The One, Minding Mr. Right, Women Who Flirt.  Or study business models and forums such as the following:  Big Red Envelope, If You Are The One, Zhihu’s Sci-Fi Channel hits. Then check out the progress and goals of the forums. Hong Kong’s Asia Film Financing Forum, Dyson Sphere’s program to recognize what it means to Chinese people to have greater vision, success in unity, and believing in “China Beautiful.”

Then there are the hits to study that represent history or became franchises.  Begin with what I call the “Lost In” films.  Lost in Hong Kong, Lost in Thailand, Lost in Russia by Xu Zheng, The Eight Hundred, Sacrifice, and Wolf Warrior.    

Old Town Girls, Left Behinds, The Best Is Yet To Come, Jian Bling Man, Beijing Bicycle,

Learn from the filmmaker Jiang Ziya, Warrior, and The Legend of Hei.  And Directors Soi Cheang, Pang Ho-Cheung – China’s new Directors.   David Paulk writes for Sixth Ton, so does Kendrick Davis, and both give insights into attracting world audiences and how films influence societies within different countries. 

Xi Jinping loved from his Buddhist studies in Zhengding in Hebei.   “If the people have faith, the nation has hope, and the country has strength.”   It is not trendy for anyone living in the Western nations to recognize anything complimentary about President Xi.  However, this statement can help so many countries in Europe undergoing cultural shock from immigration of people that refuse to have faith in the original culture of the country they want to live in as refugees. 

Your so-called “Mass Affluent Class” that pushed consumerism and changed cultures among the citizens 15-35 rose up from 2000-2015 is not just one type of person.  There are the Fu’er Dai, that desire more flash, and that is fine.   Then there are the Daigou, the personal shoppers.   The Shanzhai, creating hot new styles.   The Tubao, who rose up high and fast.  Then there is Singles Day, and the Sheng Nyu who want new meaning in life.  They want pride and independence as they select their husbands.  And the Duo Shou.   All of these groups share Culture and Virtues, and want to see themselves in a good way in movies.  We can use Entertainment and Media to add in the Virtues of good citizens in all countries, to be reflective of a good life, and to remind you that Apps showing good social credit scores are honorable.  

That is why I enjoy learning about “Zhong Cao, planting grass.” To pick words with emotions, memories, and future worth. That is what part of my book One Fish is all about.  To generate seeds in films I select that make you successful and lift the United States together. If I do it right, next year you won’t need me because the learning curve is built into entertainment, apps, and the new avatar I create.  It gives you a reason to be here as a human soul, a meaning to teach your children through the projects you fund and produce.  And while we know the fun of “Xiao Xianrou,” and how important it is to women, we can make sure we add Virtues to it.  

While politics might divide us from China the arts and ways it educates people and enriches them personally as they create it can be witnessed in China and applied in the United States.

How can you then include China’s heroes in art today, so the world applauds them and they lead China upwards?   Chinese citizens like Yihui Zhang at Tsinghua University building collapsing 3- dimensional design.  And the Minerva Project heralding The Age of Learning through Fremont at Ecole 42 will be supported so China grows its own story tellers for the new Media world.

Hollywood and Wall Street fail to come close to understanding you.   When they asked why film mergers stopped, they said it was because they failed to recognize the size of Alibaba.  What a laugh, isn’t it?  Hollywood films lost their value as China improved filmmaking, and also as Hollywood films began to look like lecturing to foreign cultures and damning them if they do not follow Hollywood’s latest virtue signal.  The reason Hollywood mergers stopped is we never took the time to know the long-term value in teaching – well – values of Integrity over the false value of victimhood. 

Films should function as a cultural ambassador, so that you enjoy seeing your own reflection in them.  When you have this Pride, you naturally have the rational actions that defeat worries and delivers the most good for all of you.  A good example is the Unicreative Group.  They understand that this is healthy art food to eat.  

While in the United States we have been embracing healthy diets, our minds could use some balancing out.

Polarity plays a big role in the I Ching and both play a big role in how they craft their stories. The Hua and balance is essential in recognizing the patterns in the future of CIT Blockchain breakthroughs.    This reveals to you the 7 Pillars of Wisdom.   Master, Balance, Thought, Causality, Ascension, Motion, and Polarization.   This puts forth the energy of increases of Yuen Sun (Flow), Yi (Righteousness), Li (Propriety), Zhi (Wisdom), Xin (Trustworthiness) Ren (Benevolence and Humanity) and other Virtuous pursuits you want not only for yourself to guide, but for your children as well.    Li, Yi, Zhi, Xin, and Ren are like the five fingers in a hand, working together.   Yuen Sun and Hua add two more elements making this a perfect 7 Essentials for a Durable Virtuous Conscious Being in a world trying to turn us into machines through Data-ism.  

While China is no longer the biggest source of investment, their ideas on which films to invest in and on what terms are useful to maximizing the ROI for investors in the United States.   First, they were given the freedom to make films that inspired theater-goers while also visually captivating them.   Then, they realized how to add merchandise and app experiences to films and even live music events on a level so high that we cannot even match what they achieved in 2019.  Now, Event Horizon Studio integrates all the founder learned in his 15 years interacting with Chinese film industries, as well as Singapore film investing.