|
══════════════════【立報】═══════════════════ |
| 教 育 專 題 深 入 報 導《2008-11-06》 |
| 本期內容 | |
| ◎國際專題：電影市場的出路 | |
| ◎中國放行 海角七號登陸 | |
| ◎驚悚電影 越來越難賺 | |
| 國際專題：電影市場的出路 | |
| 策劃、編譯■陳銳嬪、陳玫伶 | |
|
無論商業片或藝術片，什麼類型的電影受歡迎，什麼題材的電影可以賺錢，其實沒有定律。 《海角七號》吹起的國片旋風中，讓世界開始看到台灣的文化和電影。 但是要如何讓這個國片旋風不墜，則需政府的政策和台灣電影界的努力。 但是大家必須記住的是，沒有一個題材的電影模式是肯定會賺錢的， 只有拍出好電影，那部電影才有大賣的機會。 |
|
| （回目錄） | |
| 中國放行 海角七號登陸 | |
| （路透） | |
|
台灣最賣座的本土電影《海角七號》描述日本殖民時代的愛情故事，導演魏德聖表示，儘管北京對於台北和東京的友好關係感到吃味，這部電影已獲得批准，得以在中國上映。 魏德聖表示，對外來媒體嚴格控管的中國媒體，允許《海角七號》一刀不剪以原味呈現給中國廣大觀眾。 他說：「我非常驚訝。我希望中國的觀眾可以用寬容的心看待不同的文化。」 電影劇情描述兩對台灣人和日本人的愛情故事，其中一個故事發生在1896年到1945年間的日本殖民台灣時期。他們的愛情故事，反映了台灣和日本從過往到今天的緊密關係。 自從毛澤東率領中國共產黨在1949年贏得內戰、蔣介石帶著國民黨退守台灣後，中國就開始宣示對台灣的主權。北京當局誓言要把台灣納入統治領土，且不排除武力解決。 北京並不信任台灣和日本的關係，因為從殖民時代至今，台灣和日本仍保有緊密的互動。 中國目前仍指責日本1931年到1945年間佔領中國大部分領土的侵略行為。 40歲的魏德聖所拍攝的《海角七號》，在台灣的票房已達新台幣4億4千6百萬元，是有史以來最賣座的國片。他說：「我不用政治說歷史，我用愛情把歷史帶出來的。我想這不會有問題。」 8月在台灣上映的《海角七號》是片長129分鐘的喜劇，電影呈現了許多在地風貌，該片僅耗資新台幣5千萬元。 詼諧有趣的劇情從當地業餘搖滾樂團徵選開始，主唱愛上了協調演唱會的日本女子。日本女孩說服正職為郵差的主唱，務必要把因地名更動而無法投遞的情書送到收信者手上。這些情書是由日據時代和台灣女學生相戀，最後因戰敗而回國的日本男老師寫的，而最後主唱終於找到老奶奶。 《海角七號》入圍了奧斯卡最佳外語片，且會在香港、日本、馬來西亞、新加坡和南韓上映。魏德聖計畫在2009年後半年開拍另一部敘述日本和台灣的電影。 Taiwan's biggest local box office hit, a love story involving its former colonizer Japan, has been approved for screening in China despite Beijing's skittish view of Tokyo-Taipei relations, the director said on Wednesday. Chinese authorities, who can censor films that go against government interests, will allow the award-winning "Cape No. 7" to be shown uncut to its huge cinema audiences, he said. "I was really surprised," director Wei Te-sheng told Reuters. "I hope mainland Chinese audiences can look at a different culture with tolerance." The film follows two Taiwan people who fall in love with Japanese, one of whom was involved in Taiwan's colonization between 1895 and 1945. Their stories reflect the tight bonds, both then and now, between Taiwan and Japan. China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's Communists won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's KMT fled to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary. Beijing authorities distrust Taiwan's relations with Japan, where leaders have hinted they favor Taipei over Beijing, in part because of warm ties left over from colonization. China criticizes Japan to this day over its invasion and occupation of much of mainland China between 1931 and 1945. "I didn't use politics to talk about history. I used love," said Wei, 40, whose film has earned about T$446 million ($13.4 million) in box office revenue in Taiwan, making it the most popular movie ever made locally. "It should be no problem." "Cape No. 7," a 129-minute comedy which also takes potshots at Taiwan society, opened on the island in late August. It was made on a budget of just T$50 million. In the movie, which follows the joke-riddled formation of an amateur rock band, the singer falls for the Japanese concert organizer. She persuades him to use his job as a postal carrier to deliver a stack of old love letters to an aging Taiwan woman whose Japanese beau left her during the colonial period. "Cape No. 7" is also set to screen in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, and has been entered for a best foreign language Oscar award. Wei plans to direct another Japan-Taiwan theme movie in late 2009. REUTERS |
|
| （回目錄） | |
| 驚悚電影 越來越難賺 | |
| （路透） | |
|
當驚悚電影對上市場口味的時候，可以成為好萊塢的賣座片，10月底獅門電影（Lionsgate）公司推出的《奪魂鋸5》，以血腥暴力的場面，一上映票房就達到3千5百萬美元（約新台幣11億5千萬元）。 第一集的《奪魂鋸》在2004年推出時，帶來了不少的震撼。該片的成本僅120萬美元，卻獲得美國國內5,520萬、海外4,790萬美元的票房，但是當時也沒有人想到，它可以在接著拍了這麼多賺錢的續集，因為在第一集的結尾中，只見兩名被鏈鎖住的男子在一間封閉的房間，無處可去。 但是與製作公司Twisted影片合作後，獅門電影慢慢商業化。每年的10月，《奪魂鋸》電影的續集就固定報到，製片和片商努力合作，讓故事情節更加扭曲，並努力讓電影廣告不會沉悶。 獅門影片公司在上映時鋪天蓋地的宣傳，也迫不及待地告訴大家，5部《奪魂鋸》的國內票房已經達到約3億2千萬美元，全系列票房超過了9部《惡靈》系列（3億740萬美元）和11部《13號星期五》系列（3億1,780萬美元）。 在獅門影片公司慶祝票房成功的時候，美國環球影片公司已經和獨立金融家萊恩卡瓦諾旗下的影片公司接洽，打算賣掉有4年歷史的驚悚電影部門羅格影業。雖然羅格影業今年5月出品的《陌路狂殺》──描述一對情侶被3名歹徒威脅的驚悚片──擁有5,260萬美元的票房，而該公司也把產品定位在驚悚片，特別推出恐怖、動作和都市電影，並且都賺錢，但還是難逃被賣掉的命運。 在大多數影片公司在減少推出新電影的時代，低成本的驚悚電影也無法倖免。 時代華納已經縮小旗下新線影業的規模，雖然它們也曾經推出驚悚片佳作《半夜鬼上床》系列；20世紀福斯影片公司旗下的福克斯原子發行公司，市場目標對準年輕人，今年也只發行一部喜劇電影《搖滾教室》，國內票房也只有640萬美元；溫斯坦電影製片公司2007年最賣座的兩部電影是《1408》（票房7,200萬美元）和《惡靈7：月光光心慌慌》（票房5,830萬美元），而今年該公司票房最好的電影為諷刺喜劇《超級英雄惡搞版》，票房2,590萬美元。 當然，獅門影片公司的電影類型比較多樣化，從泰勒派瑞的片子到紀錄片都有，但是它依然是驚悚片的主力出品者；新力旗下的螢幕寶石影業則維持一貫的作法，在電影公司總裁克林‧柯派柏的領導下，螢幕寶石影業開始把R級恐怖片和PG-13級電影（普通級，但不適於13歲以下兒童）電影市場結合。 但是，要滿足驚悚電影愛好者，出品更多驚悚片卻不容易。 驚悚片觀眾並不容易滿足，需要更恐怖的鏡頭來吸引他們。目前不少驚悚電影都是從電玩中取材，例如福斯電影公司的《麥斯‧潘恩》，曾經佔據票房榜首長達兩週。螢幕寶石影業之前出品的《決戰異世界》也是採取如此模式。 其實，驚悚片觀眾也是會流失的。獅門影片公司最出推出驚悚片《奪魂鋸》片大賣時，讓人以為R級驚悚片市場大有可為。2006年推出《恐怖旅舍》票房達到4,740萬美元，仿彿印證了這個觀點；但是來年的《恐怖旅舍第二站》，票房只有1,760萬美元。 曾經，驚悚片是電影獲利最快的途徑，雖然也有如《奪魂鋸》系列電影的成功例子，但是失敗的例子也不在少數。 When they hit big, genre movies can offer some of the biggest payouts in Hollywood, as Lionsgate demonstrated during the weekend when "Saw V" continued that franchise's bloody rampage by opening to $30.5 million. The original "Saw," released in 2004, might have been a surprise hit -- costing just $1.2 million, it grossed $55.2 million domestically and another $47.9 million overseas -- but its future as a reliably lucrative annual offering was by no means guaranteed. After all, the first movie rested on the no-exit premise of two men chained up in a locked room with seemingly nowhere to go. But working with producers Twisted Pictures, Lionsgate has carefully nurtured the enterprise (if "nurturing" is the right word to apply to a series full of R-rated sadomasochism). While the sequels have come out like clockwork every October, the filmmakers and distributor have worked to keep the plot twists and ad campaigns from becoming stale. Even as it ballyhooed the opening of the latest installment, Lionsgate was quick to trumpet the fact that the five "Saw" movies, which have now grossed about $320 million domestically, have surpassing the nine "Halloween" movies ($307.4 million) and 11 "Friday the 13th" flicks ($317.8 million). Yet even as Lionsgate celebrates its success in the genre field, Universal Pictures has been in negotiations with independent financier Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media to sell off its 4-year-old genre division Rogue Pictures. No matter that Rogue enjoyed the biggest hit of its relatively short life this year with "The Strangers" -- the R-rated tale of a couple menaced by three strangers grossed $52.6 million when it was released in May -- and that the studio insists the genre label, specializing in horror, action and urban films, has been profitable. In an era when most of the studios are scaling back the number of titles they are releasing each year, genre movies, though they can be produced cheaply, are not immune to the cutbacks. Warner Bros. has downsized New Line Cinema, which owed much of its early success to the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. 20th Century Fox's Fox Atomic label, aimed at the youth market, has released just one title so far this year the Rainn Wilson comedy "The Rocker," which grossed just $6.4 million domestically. And while the Weinstein Co.'s Dimension Films label claimed two sizable grossers in 2007 -- "1408" ($72 million) and "Halloween" ($58.3 million) -- its best showing in 2008 has been the comedy spoof "Superhero Movie" at $25.9 million. Of course, Lionsgate, though it fields a varied slate -- ranging from Tyler Perry's films to the occasional documentary -- still keeps one foot firmly in the genre camp. And among the studios, Sony's Screen Gems has steered a remarkably consistent course: Under president Clint Culpepper, whose contract was extended this year to 2012, it mixes up R-rated horror like the recent "Quarantine" with less threatening PG-13 fare like "Prom Night." The Sony distribution team also is adept at finding release dates away from big tentpole competition, where the Screen Gems titles can prosper; as a result, April's "Prom Night" and last month's thriller "Lakeview Terrace," starring Samuel L. Jackson, opened in the No. 1 spot on their respective weekends. But keeping genre audiences happy and coming back for more isn't as simple as it might seem. Genre fans are hardly a captive audience, eager to gobble up any red meat tossed their way. For one thing, any number of studio movies are simply genre movies writ large. By taking its inspiration from a video game, for example, Fox's "Max Payne," which topped the box office two weekends ago, followed the same route already traveled by Screen Gems' "Underworld" releases. Since low-budget genre movies don't exist in a world of their own, they must be able to compete with everything from blockbusters like "The Dark Knight" to clever programmers like "Cloverfield." Further, the genre crowd, which also plugs in to a whole array of Web sites where they dissect movies in autopsy-like detail, can be tough to win over. Their loyalty can't be taken for granted, either. The "Saw" movies first suggested an insatiable hunger for hard-R horror, and Lionsgate's 2006 release of Eli Roth's "Hostel" seemed to underline that point when it grossed $47.4 million. But along came "Hostel: Part II" the following year, which had to settle for just $17.6 million. At one time, genre movies might have looked like a quick way to make a buck. But "Saw's" example notwithstanding, they still can be a scary proposition. REUTERS |
|
| （回目錄） | |
長期徵稿啟事 |
|
台灣立報網站討論區開張！讀者有任何話想說，都可以在這裡一吐快，同時歡迎對立報的任何批評指教。請由立報首頁點選「討論區」，或鍵入網址http://www.lihpao.com/phpbb/。 |
|
| （回目錄） | |
|
參觀立報： |
http://www.lihpao.com |
|
立報地址： |
台北縣新店市復興路43號1樓 |
| 欲詳完整內容請訂閱立報 電話：02-86676655 傳真：02-82191213 訂報：02-86676655轉214 地址：台北縣新店市復興路43號1樓 每週一至週六出報，每份10元 |