published_or_final_version / Comparative Literature / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, November, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

自1989 年以来，中国独立电影在国家电影体制的管控之下，已经发展二十余年。随着数字摄影、非线性编辑、互联网应用等技术的不断提升，今天的独立电影与以往相比，拍摄成本更低、制作方式更便捷、影像质量更高、传播手段多样化；但其创作力和艺术水准并没有大幅提升，反而呈现停滞，甚至下降趋势。究其原因，当然包括官方压制、国内电影市场冲击、海外影展关注度降低等多方面外界因素的影响，但中国独立电影内部环境和中国独立电影人自身所存在的问题则往往被人们忽略掉了。本研究正是通过对中国独立电影二十余年历史的梳理，力图描述其内部生态环境的变化，提出中国独立电影在原有国家电影体制之外建构了一个新的体制--"亚体制"，并分析"亚体制"对于当前独立电影创作和独立电影评论的影响。 / 国家电影体制对中国独立电影的管控由来已久，尤其表现在对其传播、发行、放映的控制上。在此情况下，"前DV 时代（1989-2000 年）的独立电影人经历了从体制中逃离、与体制合作、回归体制的路线。而同时，一些民间电影放映社团逐渐搭建起了自己的独立电影放映管道，并培养了一批帮助独立作者进行影片推广的"中间人"。在"后DV 时代"（2000 至今），各地放映社团发展壮大，开始举办独立电影节，"中间人"也由此获得了更多的权力和威信，变为具有较强话语权的“关键人。就这样，以民间放映社团为单位，独立电影节为支柱，"关键人"为核心，独立电影基金、学校、资料馆、公司为分支的独立电影"亚体制"框架基本形成。本研究主要通过人物采访、田野考察、影像文本分析等方法，结合布迪厄（Pierre Bourdieu）"场域"的相关理论分析这一"亚体制"的结构关系、经济链条和体制化表象。 / 经过论证，本研究认为在独立电影"亚体制"的场域中，"关键人"通过积累文化资本、经济资本和社会资本的方式来获得权力，并在此基础之上建立其评价体系，形成“非主流"中的主流标准。如果这种状况得不到改善，"阶级"、"霸权"、"垄断"等问题将会愈演愈烈，独立电影界也会重蹈原有体制的覆辙，其内部会逐渐丧失"独立性"，最终导致抑制独立电影多元化发展的结果。 / Since 1989, the independent film in China, under the control of national cinema institution, has already had a history of more than 20-year development. With the continuous improvement of technology in the fields of photography, editing and internet application, today's Chinese independent film has lower producing cost, quicker production methods, higher image quality, and more diversified transmission methods. However, instead of a substantial improvement, the creativity and theartistic criteria of the films tend to stagnate and even have a tendency to decline, for which the main reasons might be government control, the impact of the domestic film market, the reduced attention of abroad film festivals and other external factors, but we cannot ignore the internal problems in the ecosystems of the independent film and the filmmaker themselves. This study, through sorting the over-20-year development history of independent films in China, strives to describe the changes of the internal ecological environment and put forward institutionalization of the independent film outside the national institution. / The national cinema institution has a long-time control over the Chinese independent film, especially over its distribution and exhibition. Under such a circumstance, the independent filmmakers in the "former DV era" (1989-2000) have shifted from the paths of fleeing from the national institution, cooperating and returning. In the meantime, some "film viewing social organizations" (we call them "film clubs") gradually have set up their own exhibition channel of films and have cultivated a group of “intermediator" who could help promote the independent film. In the "later DV era" (2000 up to the present), film clubs in various regions developed and expanded to hold some independent film festivals. Consequently, while gained more power and prestige, the "intermediator" became the "key person" who has a greater discourse power. In this way, with the film club as the unit, independent film festival the pillar, the "key person" the centre, the independent film fund, school, archive and company the branch, the frame of institution was basically formed. This study, mainly through interview, field observation, analysis of image and text and other methods, and by combining with the related "field" theory of Pierre Bourdieu, analyzes the structural relation, economic chain and the representation of institutionalization in the independent film. / Through the demonstration, the study concludes that, in the field of independent film, if the situation ("the key person" gains power through accumulating cultural capital, economical capital and social capital, and on this base establishes a review system to form a mainstream standard among the "non mainstream") cannot be improved, the problems, like "social classes", "hegemony" and "monopoly" will become more and more serious. As a result, the Chinese independent film will follow the same road of national cinema institution, and the films will gradually lose its "independence", which eventually would restrain the diversified development of the film. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 李铁成. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 242-265). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Li Tiecheng. / 摘要 --- p.i / Abstract of thesis entitled: --- p.iii / 致谢 --- p.v / 目录 --- p.vii / 绪论 --- p.1 / 中国独立电影评论回顾 --- p.2 / 体制与独立电影 --- p.16 / 亚体制 --- p.26 / Chapter 第一章 --- “体制"vs.“独立" / 独立剧情片──被迫逃离体制 --- p.32 / 独立纪录片──与体制的合作 --- p.40 / 影视体制市场化 --- p.52 / Chapter 第二章 --- “前DV时代"独立电影的去向 --- p.60 / 香港──最早的“中间人" --- p.61 / 贾樟柯的香港经历 --- p.69 / 民间放映社团学习期（1996-2000） --- p.77 / 本土中间人的身份及成长 --- p.87 / Chapter 第三章 --- 亚体制独立影展的创办 --- p.94 / “后DV时代"初期──爆发后的困惑 --- p.94 / 影展试探期（2000-2002） --- p.101 / 影展创办期（2003-2007） --- p.115 / 云之南人类学影像展 --- p.116 / 中国独立纪录片交流周 --- p.122 / 中国独立影像年度展 --- p.127 / Chapter 第四章 --- 关键人与独立电影的生态链条 --- p.136 / “关键人"和“场域" --- p.137 / “资本生态链条" --- p.143 / “生态链条"的经济命脉 --- p.145 / 放映联盟 --- p.157 / 独立电影学校 --- p.160 / Chapter 第五章 --- “亚体制"vs.“独立" --- p.164 / “独立性"的选择 --- p.165 / 2011年CIFF“萨满·动物宣言" --- p.185 / 话语权不断失衡 --- p.187 / 独立作者受到的影响 --- p.193 / Chapter 第六章 --- 个案分析 --- p.196 / 创作路程原初与现状 --- p.199 / 亚体制的主流美学 --- p.204 / 自媚与猎奇 --- p.214 / 结论 --- p.219 / Chapter 附文一： --- 贾樟柯娄烨王小帅等联名上书电影局（全文） --- p.227 / Chapter 附文二： --- “萨满 动物"（南京宣言） --- p.229 / Chapter 附表一： --- 1990-2011年 柏林电影节展映之中国大陆影片 --- p.232 / Chapter 附图一： --- 中国独立电影生态图 --- p.235 / Chapter 附图二： --- 2010年 国际青年艺术电影高峰论坛 宣传手册封面 --- p.236 / Chapter 附图三： --- 2010年 国际青年艺术电影高峰论坛 第1页 --- p.237 / Chapter 附图四： --- 2010年 国际青年艺术电影高峰论坛 第2页 --- p.238 / 采访记录： --- p.239 / 英文文献： --- p.242 / 中文文献： --- p.246 / 网络文献： --- p.251 / 电影（本文中涉及到的）： --- p.259

This thesis investigates the recent developments that have occurred in the independent film market after the major Hollywood studios created their own specialty divisions to produce and distribute independent films. Due to the involvement of the major studios, independent films became more mainstream while their various costs were also driven up due to the increased amount of independent films that were released by the studios. The financial crisis of 2008 forced the major studios to contract their production of independent films and this contraction allowed the prices of independent films to return to more stable levels.

xvii, 397 p. : ill., maps. / Thousands of films are produced every year in the United States, and only a fraction of these is made by mainstream Hollywood film studios. Independent filmmakers working in regional locations produce the majority of these films, retaining financial, creative and distribution control and working with locally-based cast and crew members. This film activity must be acknowledged in order to fully understand the American film industry. This study examines regional independent filmmaking through case studies of two film communities: Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Using political economy of communication as the primary theoretical foundation, this study focuses on the infrastructure (systems, policies, resources and practices) that supports and/or limits the production and distribution of independent films. The research utilizes extensive document analysis of historical materials and contemporary documents produced by organizations and individuals, as well as a survey of 60 film professionals and interviews with over 40 film professionals. A central challenge to independent filmmaking is the term "independent," which has been contested by film professionals and scholars; therefore, this study analyzes and offers a new definition of "independent filmmaking." The history of filmmaking activity in Portland and Seattle is presented, as well as an extensive discussion of the contemporary landscape of regional independent filmmaking in these two communities. The study finds that there are a multitude of contradictions pertaining to financing, distribution, labor and myths of independent filmmaking. These contradictions present a range of opportunities and challenges that often simultaneously conflict with each other. The filmmaking communities in Portland and Seattle have notable networks of support, including professional and educational organizations, film festivals, government initiatives and a few locally-operated distributors. However, filmmakers in both cities also share challenges in financing, distribution and labor. The study argues that regional independent filmmaking has made a dynamic and influential contribution to the American film industry and cultural production but has been under-explored in academic scholarship. The research also points to the need to examine and understand the contradictions of independent filmmaking to improve the circumstances and infrastructure that support regional independent filmmaking. / Committee in charge: Dr. Janet Wasko, Chairperson; Dr. Gabriela Martinez, Member; Dr. H. Leslie Steeves, Member; Dr. Michael Aronson, Outside Member

No description available.

xii, 315 p. / Independent filmmaking in China, with the directors' reiteration of literary and cinematic realism carried on from May Fourth, reflects the nation's social uneasiness triggered by the enlarging division between the enlightenment indenture and the unidirectional modernization project. Resisting the national allegories and Hollywood-style big budget fantasies made by the Fifth Generation, independent filmmakers bring back to the screen the unadorned life of city inhabitants. The meaning of "independent" and "alternative" does not exclusively lie in the production and distribution venues but is galvanized by film directors' perception and cinematic depiction of what constitutes the social realities of contemporary China. The locality of hometown and the corporeality of the filmed subjects help to sustain a legitimate image-space for the socially underrepresented, at a time when the Party co-opts the discourse of nation-state to renew their regime. Directors employ the politics of sexuality, where body is the only thing remaining in their control, to usher in a redefinition of the Party and reassure the agency of Chinese intellectuals who were betrayed during the June Fourth massacre. The exegesis of the independent generation extends to the digital video (DV) filmmakers, whose cinematic language features the increased sense of interrogation between the camera and the characters. For the directors' claims of neither representing the people nor wrestling against the Party, nonetheless, DV films retreat to a safe but enclosed space, in which the aggrandized size of the body on screen displays a fractioned and diminished self cutting off from the outside world and falling short of its full potential. Independent filmmaking in China derives its policy-shaping capacity from its increasing participants (domestic audiences, amateur filmmakers, critics, and scholars) and multiplying operative channels (film funds, online forums, and non-official archives), collectively converting filmmaking from a privilege exclusive to the state apparatus and its elite delegates to a right of self-expression belonging to each individual. / Committee in charge: Alison M. Groppe, Chairperson; Tze-Lan Sang, Member; Alisa D. Freedman, Member; David Li, Outside Member

The Happiest Place on Earth is a feature-length film written, directed, and produced by John Goshorn as part of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Digital Media from the University of Central Florida. The project aims to challenge existing conventions of the American fiction film on multiple levels – aesthetic, narrative, technical, and industrial – while dealing with a distinctly American subject and target audience. These challenges were both facilitated and necessitated by the limited resources available to the production team and the academic context of the production. This thesis is a record of the film, from concept to completion and preparation for delivery to an audience