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Chinese Filmmakers Prepare for WTO Entry
Chinese filmmakers have urged that more efforts need be taken to enable their products to become more competitive when the country joins the WTO.
They worry that the industry might be further eclipsed by American blockbusters when China opens a bigger market to the international movie world.
"The job is imperative," said Wei Yuming, a leading filmmaker with the Changchun Film Studio, the cradle of the country's movie industry.
The studio shut down its special effects workshop in 1992 when it ran out of money. There are only about 10 experienced special effects technicians in the country, according to Wei.
The popularity of American movies such as "Titanic," "Twister" and "Jurassic Park" can be largely attributed to computer-aided special effects. All these films have been shown in China and lured a huge number of Chinese viewers.
The restoration of a special effects workshop will cost at least 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million), a figure which is beyond the means of China's sluggish movie industry, said Wei.
However, filmmakers say that they welcome China's entry into the WTO because globalization is a general trend.
China's film authorities decided last month that the reform and upgrading of film making technologies should be one of the ten tasks the film industry will do in the near future.
A special effects department will also be established in the Beijing Film College to train experts who will be able to thrive in a competitive market.
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