Establish Special Taiwanese Characteristics: Allow Genuine Creativity to Thrive

Establish Special Taiwanese Characteristics:
Allow Genuine Creativity to Thrive
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
December 2, 2012

Summary: The government commands vast resources. It has the ability and the responsibility to encourage investment in films with uniquely Taiwanese characteristics. The private sector will naturally chase after fads, and pander to consumers. Fads are highly visible. Everyone notices them. Many chase after them. There is no need for government to do so. The government should provide a more elevated perspective and broader horizons. It should offer a vision of the future that competes with market fads. It should enable true creativity to bloom and thrive on Taiwan.

Full Text below:

Hou Hsiao-hsien has created a very special film aesthetic. He always uses medium distance shots and a stationary camera to tell his story. This style of movie narrative has attracted admirers from around the world. He has many imitators within the international film scene.

But if we examine Hou's "style" closely, and attempt to discern its source, certain factors become apparent. Taiwan is an impoverished and unfeeling environment for film makers. We lack actors who can withstand the gaze of the lens close-up. We lack sufficient funds and studios large enough to provide directors with adequate production values.

In other words, Hou Hsiao-hsien's achievement was the result of his understanding of the crippling constraints imposed upon him by local conditions on Taiwan. He is painfully aware of these constraints. In order to cope with reality and make up for his lack of resources, he was forced to create a unique artistic language.

Imagine a film buff with Hou's talent. Suppose he or she ignores this harsh reality. Suppose he or she decides to shoot a Hollywood style blockbuster, or a low-keyed drama rooted in English theater. He or she would invest much effort but suffer only setbacks. In the end, he or she would probably wind up with a mediocre, amateurish, and underwhelming product.

Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" is being shot on Taiwan. But everything from the capital, to the talent, to the technology, is from Hollywood. Apart from a few local soap operas, most TV shows on Taiwan are shot on the Mainland. This is a reality we cannot ignore. These are facts we cannot deny. The soil for the film and television industry on Taiwan is barren. How can we expect our movies to offer anything fresh? How can we expect Taiwan films to compete within Chinese film circles for the Golden Horse Award? How can we expect them to achieve excellence and dazzle audiences?

DPP legislators have suggested that the Golden Horse Awards be restricted. Only Taiwanese films would be eligible for consideration. Then one could be sure that the winner was a "Taiwanese film." But would such a Golden Horse Award do anything to nurture Taiwan's film industry?

The problem is not that Taiwan films lose to others. The problem is that our society and government lacks discernment. They are unwilling to encourage people of ability who really could win. They rush to judgment, based on simplistic criteria. Few people realize that over the years, Taiwan's documentary film output has outpaced its dramatic film output. Taiwan has a new breed of film and television documentary makers who have accepted their fate. They know they lack talented actors, well-written scripts, and sufficient funding. They lug their cameras up to the mountains and down to the sea. They tell their stories in the documentary format. Over the past fifteen to twenty years, they have created a uniquely Taiwanese style of documentary syntax, performance, and editing.

An unsound system has kept Taiwan's public television network from ever playing a truly public role. PTV has a limited budget. But over the years, it was enough to nurture these documentary film makers. It gave birth to many outstanding documentaries that inspired an autonomous community of documentary film makers.

Current documentary films from Taiwan are far superior to documentary films from Hong Kong and the Mainland. They are in no way inferior to documentaries from other countries. Unfortunately, most people do not know or care about these achievements. Our legislators do not know, and care even less.

These documentaries have been outstanding successes. Why has the government not given them more attention? Why has the government not proposed a film industry development strategy based on this as a foundation? It has guided and backed dramatic films. Why not use documentary film narrative to gradually blaze a trail for dramatic film narrative?

Taiwan's predicament is largely the result of a lack of insight and a lack of self-esteem. Many people, including central and local government officials, lack the patience to understand these diverse fields. They habitually adopt external standards. They apply them haphazardly. How can they accurately perceive Taiwan? We are not the United States. We are not Hong Kong or the Mainland. What we need is a Taiwan film industry policy tailored to our specific conditions. We do not need to chase after fads.

The government commands vast resources. It has the ability and the responsibility to encourage investment in films with uniquely Taiwanese characteristics. The private sector will naturally chase after fads, and pander to consumers. Fads are highly visible. Everyone notices them. Many chase after them. There is no need for government to do so. The government should provide a more elevated perspective and broader horizons. It should offer a vision of the future that competes with market fads. It should enable true creativity to bloom and thrive on Taiwan.

Instead, government at all levels on Taiwan throw money at New Year's Eve Celebrations. They flagrantly copy each other. As a result the festivities lack uniqueness. Those who expect the public sector to play the role of creative mentor, may have a long wait ahead of them.

建立「台灣特色」 讓真實創意茁壯
    2012-12-02
    中國時報

　侯孝賢創造了一種非常特殊的電影美學，總是在中距離以外的鏡頭，不動地凝視著戲劇的推展。這樣的電影敘事手法，為他在全世界吸引了崇拜者，也有不少國際影壇上的仿效者。

　但若深入探討「侯氏風格」的來源，其中絕對無法忽視的因素，是台灣貧乏而缺憾的電影環境。我們沒有夠優秀、夠傑出的演員，可以經得起特寫鏡頭的凝視；我們也沒有充裕的資金、廣大的片場，可供導演揮灑全景呈現。

　換句話說，侯孝賢的成就，是建立在認知台灣的特殊環境條件上，正因為深刻體會這樣的缺憾，為了應付現實、彌補不足，才創造出了獨特的藝術語言。

　我們完全能夠想像：一個具備了和侯導同等才能的電影藝術追求者，若是無視於自己面對的現實條件，一心想拍出好萊塢式的「大片」，或者是源自豐厚劇場背景而來的英國式細膩心理片，那麼投入再多的努力，承受了再多的挫折，恐怕都還是只能有平庸、半吊子、不起眼的作品吧！

　李安的《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》雖然在台灣拍攝，但從資金到人才到技術，都是好萊塢提供的。除少數「本土劇」，台灣大部分電視劇，也紛紛到對岸去拍攝了。這是無從忽視、無法否認的事實。影視戲劇的土壤是如此，要怎樣期待我們的電影有「小清新」以外的表現？又要如何期待台灣電影在設定以華人圈為競賽範圍的「金馬獎」中，獲取優異、亮眼成績呢？

　除非像民進黨立委建議的，金馬獎關起門來，只評選台灣電影，那樣就可保證得獎的一定是「台灣電影」了。但問題是，那樣辦出來的金馬獎，就對台灣電影環境有幫助？

　關鍵的問題不在於台灣電影比輸人家，而在於我們的社會、我們的政府無法查知、更不願去鼓勵台灣真正可以贏人家的本事，老是以一窩蜂的單一標準來衡量成就。很少人意識到：這些年來，台灣電影在紀錄片上的表現，遠勝過劇情片。台灣有一批青壯派的影視工作者，他們認命地面對沒有好演員、沒有好劇本、沒有充裕資金的限制，扛起攝影機，上山下海，把故事寫在記錄形式的作品裡。十幾、二十年的累積，在紀錄片的語法、表現、剪接上，他們逐漸在建立台灣獨特的風格傳統。

　不健全的制度，使得台灣的公共電視，始終無法發揮真正「公共」功能，然而以公視有限的預算，卻也就足夠在這些年中扮演起「紀錄片搖籃」的角色，催生許多傑出的紀錄片，更刺激出紀錄片工作者的自主社群來。

　拿當前的台灣紀錄片，去和香港、大陸相較，一定只贏不輸。拿去和其他任何國家的紀錄片比較，也絕不遜色。可惜，這樣的成就，大部分的國人不知道也不關心，我們的立委們更是從來都不知道、更不關心。

　為什麼政府不能讓已經有了如此傑出成就的紀錄片，獲得更普遍重視？為什麼政府不能提出一套站在這個基礎上的電影產業發展策略，在輔導、投資劇情片之外，開出另外一條由紀錄敘事逐漸成熟虛構敘事的道路出來？

　台灣今天的困境，很大一部分來自於缺乏真正的自知與自重。很多人，包括很多中央及地方的政府官員、立委，沒有耐心實地去了解各個領域的面貌，習慣撿拾外來的標準，粗率地套用，這樣怎麼能準確看見台灣呢？我們不是美國、也不是香港大陸，我們需要的，是依照台灣具體條件量身訂做的電影產業政策，不是一窩蜂的流行意見。

　掌握龐大公資源的政府，有能力、也有責任鼓勵投資真正的台灣特色。一窩蜂的事，一時討好消費者的事，民間商業市場自然會做，不需要政府。一窩蜂的事，誰都看得到，也有很多人會投入跟隨，這更不需要政府。相反地，政府應該提供更高更廣的視野，提供未來的願景，以視野和願景對抗市場的一窩蜂，讓從台灣現實土地上長出來的真實創意能夠茁壯成型。

　不過看看台灣各級政府一窩蜂地砸錢辦跨年晚會，毫不在意地彼此抄襲模仿，讓各地的活動都沒有特色，若要期待公部門扮演起這種創意品味領路的角色，恐怕還得經過一段漫長時間的等待吧！