Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:42 am Post subject:
Japan urged to take film abroad
By Julian Ryall
March 19, 2008
HONG KONG -- Japanese moviemakers need to stop seeing their domestic market as their sole audience because a boom time in the industry is inevitably followed by lean years, Bey Logan, vp of the Weinstein Co., told a seminar on "Cool Japan Content" on Tuesday.
Organized by TIFFCOM, the market that runs in parallel with the annual Tokyo International Film Festival, the panelists included Jessica Chen, general manager of Taiwan's Khan Entertainment, and Fumiko Nagata, film and programming division manager for Nippon Television Network Corp.
Fumiko Nozawa, of Japan's ministry of trade and industry, emphasized the healthy state of the industry at home, as well as its growing links throughout the region, while Tom Yoda, chairman of TIFF, was also enthusiastic about improved technology and creativeness permeating Japanese movies.
But it was Logan who fired a warning shot over complacency.
"Japan is one of the most fascinating, contradictory and frustrating markets," he said. "The biggest strength of the Japanese market is that it is so strong domestically, based on television shows that are already familiar to a Japanese audience, they do not travel outside of Japan."
Consequently, producers do not even consider collaborations because they are effectively guaranteed a money-spinning product.
"They are not interested in the U.S., for example, because they are so strong at home," he said. "But I was here in Hong Kong back in the 1980s when the industry was strong -- and now it is much less strong.
"I would urge Japanese filmmakers to keep up their relations with outside companies because even though they are experiencing a boom at the moment, the time will come when there is a bust."
Nagata, who was behind the successful sale of "Death Note" in the region, said she had been lucky as the project had been well known in advance and made her task that much easier.
Chen, who purchased the Ken Watanabe drama "Memories of Tomorrow" for the Taiwan market, said movies that "conquered the audience" by touching their emotions worked well in her market, although it remained dominated by Hollywood titles.
"I want more young people to go to cinemas to see learn about other cultures as it is both an entertainment event and educational," she said.
HONG KONG -- Japanese moviemakers need to stop seeing their domestic market as their sole audience because a boom time in the industry is inevitably followed by lean years, Bey Logan, vp of the Weinstein Co., told a seminar on "Cool Japan Content" on Tuesday.
Not just films.... Dramas as well.
The U.S. exports most (all?) of its TV shows for the world market, why not Japan???
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:42 am Post subject:
Quote:
One of my favorite short films ever is a 2006 30-minute flick called Anti-Sex, directed by Ryotaro Muramatsu. It's about a high school girl named Ai whose father's death left her in charge of a love hotel. It's always been a family business, and because she's been so over-exposed to sex since childhood, she's totally not interested in it. At all. This is a really cute, hip, fun comedy about love and sex and Japan.
One of my favorite short films ever is a 2006 30-minute flick called Anti-Sex, directed by Ryotaro Muramatsu. It's about a high school girl named Ai whose father's death left her in charge of a love hotel. It's always been a family business, and because she's been so over-exposed to sex since childhood, she's totally not interested in it. At all. This is a really cute, hip, fun comedy about love and sex and Japan.
Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 3930 Location: �p���_�N�ƔL�B Country:
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:12 am Post subject:
I'm thinking of making a copy of a movie for some people in a class I'm taking. Does anyone have any good suggestions? Preferably something not pretentiously boring and maybe nothing too stupid or juvenile. I know this is really vague, but I haven't much experience with Japanese movies, so I'm unsure what I'm actually looking for unless I check the description out myself. Thanks. _________________
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:28 am Post subject:
cori wrote:
I'm thinking of making a copy of a movie for some people in a class I'm taking. Does anyone have any good suggestions? Preferably something not pretentiously boring and maybe nothing too stupid or juvenile. I know this is really vague, but I haven't much experience with Japanese movies, so I'm unsure what I'm actually looking for unless I check the description out myself. Thanks.
There have been a few movies mentioned by a few of us here that seem to have a broad appeal.
Gakko
Drugstore Girl
Uchoten Hotel
Twilight Samurai
I'm thinking of making a copy of a movie for some people in a class I'm taking. Does anyone have any good suggestions? Preferably something not pretentiously boring and maybe nothing too stupid or juvenile. I know this is really vague, but I haven't much experience with Japanese movies, so I'm unsure what I'm actually looking for unless I check the description out myself. Thanks.
Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 3930 Location: �p���_�N�ƔL�B Country:
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:42 am Post subject:
Tu_triky wrote:
There have been a few movies mentioned by a few of us here that seem to have a broad appeal.
Gakko
Drugstore Girl
Uchoten Hotel
Twilight Samurai
Oops. I should have mentioned that I would like to find something that I can easily download online because I need to get it by Wednesday at the latest. _________________
Oops. I should have mentioned that I would like to find something that I can easily download online because I need to get it by Wednesday at the latest.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:48 am Post subject:
cori wrote:
Oops. I should have mentioned that I would like to find something that I can easily download online because I need to get it by Wednesday at the latest.
Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 12 Location: Denver, CO Country:
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 8:27 am Post subject: Japanese Movies
Twilight samurai is not so difficult to get.
Hidden blade, by the same director, is also very good and might be quicker to find.
Both are Samurai movies taking place before the Meiji period
Other fast options are :
- Azumi. Lots of stylish fights, not a deep story but interesting to see how an action movie with a similar scenario than many US or HK movies end up being really different in its style because it is Japanese
- Always San Chome no Yuhi. Set in post-war Japan, the story of a district and the families that live in it. Light-hearted and easy to watch comedy, tells a lot about the lives of the Japanese in Tokyo in the 50's
- Tampopo is another classic, set in a Ramen restaurant. Good to show to your class the contemporary daily life in Japan, and there's lots of food in it! _________________
{The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music}
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 8:44 am Post subject:
I would recommend A Taxing Woman basically the same cast and director as Tampopo although I don't think Ken Watanabe is in this one.
Edit: You could also try Udon the ending really needed a re-write, it's kind of long and drawn out, but otherwise not too bad. (And Manami makes a terrific nerd )
Last edited by gaijinmark on Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:45 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 3930 Location: �p���_�N�ƔL�B Country:
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:15 pm Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Swing Girls.
Summer Time Machine Blues.
I have those, so that may be a possibility. Thanks!
Tu_triky wrote:
How about Voltron?
Haha, somehow I doubt that they'd be interested in that.
@ Jackykero: I have Hidden Blade, but I didn't watch it yet. Since I'll have time this weekend, I hope to check it out. And I just watched the movie Always today, and it's a possibility. ^_^ Tampopo, I'm probably going to watch some time soon as well.
@ gaijinmark: I don't know where I can find Taxing Woman, but if I can't find that in time, I'll try to check it out myself.
Anime Dad wrote:
Didn't I send you some of those?
Yes, you did. I'm also thinking of making a copy of Hula Girls for someone who leaves for the mainland to give her a little something to remind her of the islands. ^_^ _________________
Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 3930 Location: �p���_�N�ƔL�B Country:
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:29 pm Post subject:
runpup wrote:
How about everone's favorite...
Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru
I have that movie, but one of my friends has it, so I downloaded it and tried authoring it to DVD myself, with horrendous results. I might just try again tomorrow.
Right now I'm trying to author Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu since a lot of people said that's a good one. I'm going to watch it tonight because I made it a recent policy not to make copies of something without watching it myself first, so i can see if it's to their liking. _________________
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I'm also thinking of making a copy of Hula Girls for someone who leaves for the mainland to give her a little something to remind her of the islands. ^_^
