Hollywood Is Becoming Asianized - Extended Response

Nearly ten years ago Christina Klein noted that “we are seeing a partial erosion of the boundaries that once separated Hollywood from local Asian film industries, and a consequent intertwining of industries on both sides of the Pacific.” At present, the same can be said in relation to the integration of both film industries. In the past few years alone we have seen a number of successful films be released that incorporate both Hollywood and Asian styles. After the United States, China has the second biggest movie market. So naturally Hollywood’s increase in casting more Asian actors is none too surprising. To bring in more revenue American blockbuster films are even being set in China. Some big studios are going one step further and are actually shooting different versions of their movies for Chinese audiences.

With China and Japan becoming major box office giants, Hollywood films have adjusted multiple scenes to make a bigger impression overseas, effectively bringing in more revenue. This minor adjustment alone has gained major Hollywood blockbusters a great deal more of success. With only so many foreign movies being released in China, the massive reveal that the main antagonist in Iron Man 3 was of Chinese decent and that scenes would even be filmed there to maintain authenticity solidified its global presence and accepted release in China. In order to gain greater success and smash the box office, Marvel decided that they would benefit from releasing two separate versions, one being for the U.S. and another specifically tailored for China. The Chinese version of Iron Man 3 included an extra four minute scene featuring Chinese film stars Bingbing Fan and Xueqi Wang, which appeared against a Chinese background. It is none too surprising that Marvel took this approach for the film given the central role China plays in The Mandarin’s backstory. By focusing more on the Asian elements in the story, the creation of the tailored version for Chinese audiences gave them the extra encouragement needed to go and watch the film. Seeing as Marvel chose not include this specific scene in the American release it is safe to assume that we didn’t miss any major plot twists, nor were we denied of any important information that could affect the outcome of the storyline. If you are desperate to see the extra four minutes however, a quick Google search will satisfy your cravings. I will note though that the scenes are in Chinese and lack subtitles, so if you don’t speak Chinese you will probably just end up more confused. At the end of the day it is all business; Hollywood wants to make the most money they can and luckily for them they have found an avenue to do so. With the way China is heading in the box office rankings, it is inevitable that American films will continue (to a greater extent) fuse both cultures within future films.

Fig. 1. Iron Man 3 

Hollywood is dabbling more and more in the world of martial arts within its current and forthcoming films. Not only appealing to the obvious mass interest in Asia, but also to all the Western countries that have grown up on the likes of anime. Klein (2004, p. 360) notes that “Hollywood today is fascinated with martial arts to an extent unseen since the heyday of Bruce Lee in the early 1970s.” This is still very much the case today. Over the American summer period, there have been numerous feature films that have been influenced by Eastern action and culture; The Wolverine, Red 2 and Pacific Rim to name a few. This of course has been welcomed with open arms by fan boys of Asian culture and martial arts. Even more specifically, the big budget franchise “G.I. Joe” released “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” earlier this year, and the trailer for it featured a ridiculous cliff-side martial arts battle showcasing the unbelievable skills of world-class martial artists Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park and Elodie Yung. That scene alone had me jumping out of my seat in excitement. “Martial arts fight scenes have become a ubiquitous feature in action films across the genre map” Klein (2004, p. 361), which is a result of the “latest phase of globalization.”

Fig. 2. How I felt About G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Not only is Hollywood incorporating martial arts into more of their productions, but they are also poaching well-known actors and directors from foreign nations within the entertainment industry. A great example of this is Chinese actor, Jackie Chan. Having been the most popular actor in East Asia since the late 1970’s, Chan has made a name for himself in Hollywood by doing what he does best – his trademark amazing martial arts and jaw dropping stunts. The success that surrounds Chan now however did not come easy. As Hollywood always does, they tried to make him into the classic 'American action hero' Klein (2003), a role that is portrayed in majority of American films that are released. Although it took a while, Hollywood producers and executives started to realise their failed attempts and became more open to letting Chan effectively do what originally made him a household name in Asia in the first place. Thanks to Hollywood backing away from the typical tripe that they usually produce, we were able to see the likes of Rush Hour 1 and 2 and Shanghai Knights. Each film incorporating Asian elements which audiences all over the world are starting to embrace more. By capitalizing on Chan’s success in China, Klein (2003) notes that Hollywood hoped that by 'letting him make films similar to those he made in Hong Kong' it would draw Asian crowds into theatres to watch his Hollywood creations.

"The Wolverine" recently clawed its way to the box office, starring Australia's own, Hugh Jackman, and Japanese newcomer Tao Okamoto. Tao plays "Mariko Yashida", who is Logan's love interest in the film. Rila Fukushima, also a Japanese actress co-stars in the film as "Yukio", she is a mutant and embodies total badassness. With Hollywood courting overseas talent for their big budget movies they are opening up doors for foreign stars to make it on a global stage. The tweaking of already written scripts and roles to include Asian characters in my opinion is slow progress but at the end of the day it is still progress. This topic I am all too familiar with as my close friend himself is a Korean Australian actor trying to break the Hollywood mould. We find that majority of the scripts he gets sent that are for Asian-specific characters are very stereotypical, for example they are usually extremely intelligent, poor socially, technologically savvy and have poor English skills.  These predetermined notions do not accurately reflect on my friend in reality however. To give you some slight insight he works at a surf retail store, he polled the highest number of votes for league best and fairest at his local football club and he is absolutely hopeless at speaking Korean. I honestly can’t see him playing the reserved nerdy type given his outgoing personality, but with Hollywood recently embracing Asian culture and creating more Asian roles there are definitely more opportunities arising for upcoming and established Asian actors. 

Fig.3. The Wolverine 

Back focusing on the main topic here, the Asianization of Hollywood, I find a prime example of this is the animated production Kung Fu Panda and its sequel Kung Fu Panda 2. Produced by Steven Spielberg, Kung Fu Panda became the biggest box office hit in China’s history. It’s crazy to think that a movie based on Asian martial arts, fronted by an iconic and unique Asian animal would be made by Americans. Zhao Bandi, a Chinese performance artist stated that the Kung Fu Panda films “twisted Chinese culture and served as a tool to kidnap the minds of the Chinese people.” However it seems from the box office records it smashed, China embraced the humorous and loveable panda with open arms.

Fig. 4. Kung Fu Panda

At the beginning I noted that almost a decade ago Christina Klein made the observation that “we are seeing a partial erosion of the boundaries that once separated Hollywood from local Asian film industries.” Today we are definitely seeing a breakdown of the distinct lines between the American film industry and the Asian film industry with American blockbusters embracing Asian culture and adding Asian elements to many of their films and also the casting of unknown or up and coming Asian actors in massive summer titles. This however does not only apply to these very dominant industries, but also other film industries around the world. Klein (2003) notes that they are becoming 'increasingly integrated with one another', making each and every one of them more globally present.

References:

Klein, Christina 2004, ‘Martial arts and globalisation of US and Asian film industries’, Comparative America Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 360-384. 

Child, Ben 2011, ‘Kung Fu Panda 2 Smashes China’s Box Office Records’, The Guardian, Viewed 8 October 2013, <http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jun/06/kung-fu-panda-2-china>

Klein, Christina 2003, 'The Asia Factor In Global Hollywood', YaleGlobal, Viewed 6 October 2013, <http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/asia-factor-global-hollywood>

Fig. 1. Iron Man 3's Chinese Only Scenes, (2013) [Image], Viewed 5 October 2013 At: <http://collider.com/iron-man-3-chinese-only-scenes/>

Fig. 2. Shut Up And Take My Money, (2013) [Image], Viewed 22 September 2013 At: <http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/File:Iffem_shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg> 

Fig. 3. Rila Fukushima and Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine, (2013) [Image], Viewed 5 October 2013 At: <http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/welcome-to-hell-jackmans-journey-to-the-ultimate-wolverine-20130608-2nwaz.html>

Fig. 4. Kung Fu Panda, (2010) [Image], Viewed 8 October 2103 At: <http://akminerva.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/i-love-kung-fu-panda/>

Hollywood is becoming Asianized

Nearly ten years ago Christina Klein noted that "we are seeing a partial erosion of the boundaries that once separated Hollywood from local Asian film industries, and a consequent intertwining of industries on both sides of the Pacific." At present, the same can be said in relation to the integration of both film industries. In the past few years alone we have seen a number of successful films be released that incorporate both Hollywood and Asian styles. 

After the United States, China has the second biggest movie market. So naturally Hollywood's increase in casting more Asian actors is none too surprising. To bring in more revenue American blockbuster films are even being set in China. Some big studios are going one step further and are actually shooting different versions of their movies for Chinese audiences.

"The Wolverine" recently clawed its way to the box office, starring Australia's own, Hugh Jackman, and Japanese newcomer Tao Okamoto. Tao plays "Mariko Yashida", who is Logan's love interest in the film. Rila Fukushima, also a Japanese actress co-stars in the film as "Yukio", she is a mutant and embodies total badassness. To give you a little idea of how amazing Rila is in the movie, I will include a short video below. Seriously, watch it now! I'll wait til you're done.

Yukio in "The Wolverine"

I bet you want to watch the entire movie now. Stay with me a little longer though! Klein (2004, p.360) notes that "Hollywood today is fascinated with martial arts to an extent unseen since the heyday of Bruce Lee in the early 1970's." This is still very much the case today. For instance the bug budget franchise "G.I. Joe" released "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" earlier this year, and the trailer for it featured a ridiculous cliff-side martial arts battle showcasing the unbelievable skills of world-class martial artists Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park and Elodie Yung. That scene alone had me jumping out of my seat in excitement. "Martial arts fight scenes have become a ubiquitous feature in action films across the genre map" Klein (2004, p.361), which is a result of the "latest phase of globalisation."

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

How I felt about G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Reference:

Klein, Christina 2004, 'Martial arts and globalization of US and Asian film industries', Comparative America Studies, vol.2, pp. 360-384.

The Wolverine - Yukio Featurette 2013, YouTube Video, Retrieved 22 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r6KnVt15mE>

G.I. Joe: Retaliation - Official Clip - "Cliffside Battle" 2013, YouTube Video, Retrieved 22 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoIhOF6vcQY>

Who are you online?

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Tumblr. Blogger. These are only a few examples of the many social media platforms where you can create an online profile documenting your life. I rarely post on my Facebook page, mainly because I have a lot of family on there and I'd rather them not know of my drunken escapades and use of explicit language. Marshall (2010, p.499) uses the term "specular economy" to describe how "collectively we are becoming more conscious of how we present ourselves and how others perceive us".

With social media becoming such a huge part of everyday life now, people are definitely more eager to share information on the internet than in person. Is the person we present ourselves to be on the internet who we really are? Yes and no. In the ever-growing world of social media, perception is everything. We all have an ideal version of our self, and due to social media, we can present our ideal selves rather than our real selves on outlets such as Facebook. We are able to entirely create our own online identity by using these social media tools, basically we can choose exactly what we want others to see. Personally, I don't worry too much about unflattering photo's like many other people I know, however I am quite cautious of everything I type and like to steer clear of this by rarely posting anything online. 

My sister and I being ourselves - Jokers (*shh.. listen to the people judging my hair and face*)

Granted you can truly "be yourself" on social media platforms, it is quite easy to say things that you would not normally say and portray yourself as someone you're not. Looking back on my Facebook timeline I can definitely confirm that my 17-year-old-Facebook self is not an accurate portrayal of who I really am. I cringe at how often I butchered the English language with slang terms. It is easy to forget that the image we portray of ourselves online is what everyone else gets to see; not just our friends and family, but even potential employers. Maintaining a respected online presence has now become more crucial than ever. 

It is no secret that everyone's life looks a lot better on social media; we all fabricate and manipulate what we post online to some degree. I mean, no one wants to look like they lead a normal average life now do they?! :/

Classic Sunset Photo BUT From Los Angeles ;) Life Instantly Cooler..

References:

Marshall, P.D 2010, "The Specular Economy", Society, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 498-502

The Last Of Us - Gender Equality

WARNING: May contain spoilers.

Working at an electronics retailer, I am very familiar with all of the latest games that have hit shelves over the past few years. It is not unknown that the portrayal of women in video games is controversial. Often the damsel in distress, female characters are more often than not dependent on male protagonists. However with video games slowly progressing over the years, more prominent strong female characters have been introduced into the gaming world.

One game in particular that deserves a notable mention is "The Last of Us". The women in this game are all incredible, brave, determined and strong characters - they are leaders, warriors and survivors. The game closely follows the journey of Joel, a survivor of a pandemic that has destroyed civilization and Ellie, a young orphan who has grown up in the post-apocalyptic world that is believed to be the cure to the infection that has devastated the world. Although you still play as a protective male for a hefty chunk of the game, in my opinion, it really did take a massive step in the right direction when it comes to the portrayal of women in video games.

PS3 game: The Last of Us

Generally we perceive males as being strong and dominating, whereas women are more likely to be associated as vulnerable and weak. With reference to preferred reading, the reader would accept that in the "The Last of Us", Joel is shown as the only capable person to protect Ellie and lead her to safety, even though he doesn't even know her. Hall (1973, p.60) states that negotiated readings operate "with exceptions to the rule". In relation to the "The Last of Us", a negotiated reader would acknowledge Joel to take on majority of the physical and dangerous scenarios throughout the game, but would also take notice of Ellie's imperative influence when it comes to their survival. Lastly there is the oppositional reading, which Hall (1973, p.61) expresses as decoding the message in a "globally contrary way". Looking back to "The Last of Us" again, the reader would reject the fact that Joel is depicted as the only suitable option to take on all of the overly physical tasks throughout the game, and instead believe that the female character, Ellie, could do everything on her own and provide her own protection.

With this tipped to be "Game Of The Year", it paves the way for more strong female characters to be introduced into the video gaming world, and I for one am extremely excited.

References:

Hall, S. 1973, Encoding and Decoding in the Television Disclosure. Birmingham [England: Centre for Cultural Studies], University of Birmingham, 1973. 507-17 (available: http://visualstudios.buffalo.edu/coursenotes/art250/250A/_assets/_readings/encoding_decoding_hall.pdf)

The Last Of Us, photograph, Viewed 9 September 2013, <http://www.i-am-geek.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/TheLastOfUsTitle.jpg>

Note to self: Don't blog about work..

Given the popularity of Social Media the majority of people employed nowadays have already established their own social presence online. Richards and Kosmala (2013) express that "blogging platforms have become forums for employees to either individually or collectively vent frustrations". We are able to broadcast our every thought, feeling or desire on a public forum, however unfortunately most of the time people don't think things through before they go and announce it to the world and end up later regretting their spiels, whether it be about school, politics, friends, family or in this case work. 

My workplace embraces an employee's right to a private life, and takes no position on their decision to start or maintain a personal media presence. However, as a company they must also ensure that their reputation and confidentiality are protected at all times. The company I work for actually has a "Social Media Policy" which states that they hold "very strict views about employees speaking on behalf of the company, in whatever form that may be" and that "Marketing and Community teams" are the only authorised people to represent the company in any form of media. There are official guidelines that each employee must follow if they choose to state online that they work for said company. As we are therefore considered active representatives of the company brand, if we breach any of the points listed in the policy or if we post material that the company determines detrimental to its business, we as an employee are subject to the disciplinary policy held by the company including termination of employment. Also if an employee makes a defamatory statement that is publicised online they may also be held legally liable for any damages caused as a result of his/her actions.

Personally I could write a book on the crap I have had to deal with in my working life, but I know better than to put it out into the world with the slight chance that either my prior or current employers would find out and take some sort of action. One bad publicized comment has the ability to damage any company's reputation. So next time you come home from work in a rage and take to your computer, stop and think of the consequences your five minute rant will ensue, because not only could you affect your job security but it could also destroy an entire company's reputation.

How I feel about work

References:

Richards, J., and Kosmala, K., 2013 "In the end, you can only slag people off for so long" : employee cynicism through work blogging', New Technology, Work and Employment, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 68 - 77.

Blogging For Jobs, photograph, Viewed 2 September 2013, <http://blogging4jobs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/transparent.png>

Homer Simpson Nuclear Engineer, photograph, Viewed 2 September 2013, <http://emmajamesondotcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/homer-simpson-nuclear-emgineer-creative-commons.jpg>

...Is Watching

First off what is Uberveillance? As I understand, it is a term used to describe intense 24/7 electronic surveillance. It sounds reminiscent of George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four", always being watched. Not only is it referring to surveillance from the outside, but also the disturbing notion of surveillance on the inside. Michael (2010) describes uberveillance as "the ability to automatically locate and identify". Basically it is the most comprehensive surveillance possible, real-time monitoring and tracking at any given moment in time without ceasing.

The realisation of this even being a reality one day raises the question of privacy and inherent human rights. Are we ready for an uberveillance society? I don't think anyone is ready for that, nor will they ever be. Unfortunately with new technologies being developed every single day, it is looking more and more likely that one day in the future this will go from being an outrageous idea to the standard.

With products like Google Glass due out later in the year, it shows how far technology has come already and that nothing really is unimaginable. Google Glass is a wearable device that does everything a smart phone can do and more, all with a simple voice command. So not only can it take photos, record video, send messages and search the web but it can also monitor your heart rate and navigate you around. Have a bad sense of direction? Never fear, Google Glass will map out a route to follow right in front of your eyes! With technology like this being made available to the public who knows where this could lead and what boundaries will be set. I don't know about you, but I find the direction technology is heading a little unsettling. What will be in the next wave of inventions? Could it be implantable microchips? It's hard to comprehend the possibilities of next generation technology.

Google Glass

These days it is quite common to tag animals to further aid researchers in understanding their behaviour. With this already becoming the norm it could easily lead to the development and implementation of microchips for human beings. If this is the impending future for generations to come they will not know the feeling of freedom, that right will be stripped from them before they even know it. They will share everything they see and hear, their location will never be unknown, and they will always somehow be watched.

Reference:

M.G Michael and K. Michael 2010 "Towards a State of Uberveillance" IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 29.2 (2010): 9-16 [Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kmicahel/187]

T Mogg 2013 "Google Glass: Privacy Officials From Six Nations ask Larry Page For More Info", <http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/google-glass-privacy-officials-from-six-nations-ask-larry-page-for-more-info/>

Goodbye Originality!

Digital programs and websites such as ProTools, Audacity and YouTube have allowed anyone the opportunity to call themselves a producer or an artist. We live in a time where there are remixes, mash-ups and samples popping up all over the Internet and radio. Such technologies enable basically anyone with a computer to take another person's hard work, remaster it and throw it out into the world as something new. The question that is raised quite frequently is whether remixers are "innovators" or "thieves". Personally I don't see how remixers could be referred to as innovators, seeing as they technically aren't introducing a completely new track. Even if majority of their track is brand new material the sample that they include is almost always recognisable, and therefore is not original. If an artist plans to distribute copies containing samples to the public and are gaining a profit from their release without getting the legal clearance required, then I would go as far as to say that remixers are thieves.

Sampling music can be a very complicated process, especially when samples contain samples, which in today's music industry is increasingly the case. Not only do you need to receive the permission of the music label which owns the sound recording rights, but you also need to gather permission from the songs publisher. This obviously continues until you receive permission from all owners of the samples within the sample being used. From this it is clear that it is almost impossible to obtain all of the clearances necessary to avoid a hefty lawsuit.

Daft Punk is a French electronic music duo that reached significant popularity in the late 1990's. According to "WhoSampled" they have used over 216 samples, created 26 covers and recorded around 7 remixes. Their hit song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (2001), featured a sample from "Cola Bottle Baby" by Edwin Birdsong (1979). "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" then went on to be sampled in approximately twenty more songs including the major chart toppers "Stronger" by Kanye West (2007) and "Boom Boom Pow" by Black Eyed Peas (2009).

"Cola Bottle Baby"

"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"

In the music industry with changing times and developing technologies we need to acknowledge that artists have and will continue to draw inspiration from and/or sample each other's work.

References:

WhoSampled, 2013, "Hot Artists", Retrieved 11 August 2013, <http://www.whosampled.com/hot-artists/1/>

Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger 2009, YouTube Video, emimusic, Retrieved 11 August 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAjR4_CbPpQ>

Edwin Birdsong - Cola Bottle Baby 2009, Youtube Video, Retrieved 11 August 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3AKrwna2C8