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2013年4月30日 星期二

少年派的中國奇幻漂流 Hollywood Pushes Back Against New China Tax

好萊塢抵制中國增值稅新規


20
世紀福克斯影片公司(Twentieth Century Fox)的高管們說,由於好萊塢和中國有關部門之間的分歧,該公司目前拒絕接受《少年派的奇幻漂流》(Life of Pi)大約2,300萬美元的中國票房分賬。

Associated Press
好萊塢電影公司正在致力於解決與中國有關部門之間的分歧。上圖為《007:大破天幕殺機》在北京首映後幾名影迷從電影海報前走過。
分歧的焦點是中國正在推行的針對諸多商品和服務的一項新增值稅。幾名參與國際電影發行的人士說,就電影票而言,國有發行商中影集團(China Film Group)最近打算將這項稅費全部從外國制片商的票房分帳中扣減。

這個增值稅新規讓好萊塢錯愕不已。好萊塢認為這項新規是限制美國電影制作公司在中國盈利能力的最新行動,盡管中美政府去年達成了一項旨在開放中國市場的協議。新規削弱了協議中一個增加外國制片商電影票銷售分成的條款。

包 括20世紀福克斯在內的幾家電影公司的高管反對中影集團的增值稅規定。在其他國家,增值稅是在電影制作公司和電影院分賬之前從總票房收入中扣除的。電影公 司的高管們認為,中影集團的新規可能令他們未來幾年從世界增長最快的電影市場院線獲得的營收減少8%,損失可能達到數百萬美元。

參與討論的一名電影制作公司的高管說,這是一個嚴重的問題,我們不知道何時將會解決。

法律專家說,新的稅費規定讓許多在中國運營的企業感到困惑。去年在幾個城市進行試點時,官員們沒有說明新規是否會適用於電影票。本月,中國政府宣布,電影院將從今年8月開始實行新的增值稅規定。

不 過,在上周召開的一個由美國電影協會(Motion Picture Association of America)組織的美國電影制作公司會議上,20世紀福克斯的一名高管對在場的其他國際發行專業人士說,中影集團企圖通過新的增值稅規定,減少為去年 上映的《少年派的奇幻漂流》所支付的費用。20世紀福克斯認為中國支付的費用過少,拒絕在問題解決之前獲得分成。

中國的一名電影行業專家說,由於缺少明確的規定,電影制作公司需要支付多少稅費取決於與中影集團談判的能力。這位專家還指出,國內電影制作公司不需要交稅,除非與外國公司有合作。

中影集團的一名發言人拒絕討論與稅制有關的協議,但是他說,他不知道中影集團與好萊塢工作室之間存在任何爭議。中影集團的發言人蔣德福說,中影集團與外國電影制作公司一直保持著良好的關系,因此據我所知,不存在爭議。

20世紀福克斯的一名發言人拒絕置評。20世紀福克斯與《華爾街日報》同為新聞集團(News Corp.)所有。

這次會議是上周在拉斯維加斯的電影院行業展會Cinema-Con上舉行的,此後,美國電影協會介入了這一爭議。各電影制作公司和美國電影協會正努力沒有美國政府參與的情況下解決這個問題。

前美國參議員、美國電影協會首席執行長多德(Chris Dodd)說,我了解到存在這個問題;我們正在努力解決該問題,電影制作公司也是。

《少 年派的奇幻漂流》是去年在中國上映的最叫座的影片之一,獲得了9,100萬美元的票房收入。由於去年達成的協議規定外國制片方可以獲得25%的票房收 入,20世紀福克斯的分成應該在2,300萬美元左右。根據聽取了解簡要情況介紹的人士說,中影集團的新規將使20世紀福克斯的分成減少大約200萬美 元。

參加了拉斯維加斯會議的另外兩家電影制作公司的高管們說,他們支持20世紀福克斯的立場。這些高管們說,他們擔心如果20世紀福克斯同意減少分成,這個先例將可能影響整個行業。

繼 《少年派的奇幻漂流》之後在中國上映的一些美國電影的票房收入可能因為新的增值稅規定而減少,這些影片包括:索尼影視娛樂公司(Sony Pictures Entertainment)發行的《007:大破天幕殺機》(Skyfall)、時代華納公司(Time Warner Inc.)旗下華納兄弟(Warner Bros)的《霍比特人:意外旅程》(The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)、華特-迪士尼公司(Walt Disney Co.)的《魔鏡仙蹤》(Oz: The Great and Powerful)和維亞康姆公司(Viacom Inc.)旗下派拉蒙影業(Paramount Pictures)的《特種部隊2:全面反擊》(G.I. Joe: Retaliation)。

中國放映的幾乎所有外國影片都來自好萊塢。索尼影視娛樂、華納兄弟、派拉蒙影業和華特-迪士尼的發言人拒絕置評。

好 萊塢的電影制作公司長期以來一直想要擴大進入中國的渠道,去年的協議被看做是這一努力過程中裡程碑式的進展。中國是全球第二大電影市場,預計到2020年 將成為第一大電影市場。除了提高外國電影制作公司的票房分成,協議還增加了在中國放映並分享票房收入的外國電影數量,從20部增加到了34部。

但 是此後,好萊塢進入中國的努力又經歷了一些挫折。去年夏天,中影集團在相同的檔期上映了幾部相似的電影,包括《黑暗騎士崛起》(The Dark Knight Rises)和《神奇蜘蛛俠》(The Amazing Spider-Man)。該公司還安排了長達一個月的“封鎖期”,在此期間,電影院不許放映外國電影。

外界普遍認為,這些行動是為了限制進口電影的總票房收入。在中國,進口電影的票房收入曾經遠遠高於本土電影。今年,這一趨勢已經被逆轉。

本月早些時候,中國有關部門在《被解救的姜戈》(Django Unchained)上映首日叫停了這部電影,這讓索尼影視娛樂公司的高管們感到震驚。這家電影制作公司對電影進行了微調並讓審查機構滿意後於上周五表示,該片將於5月12日重新上映。

關注新增值稅爭議的好萊塢高管們說,他們相信這個問題將很快解決,但沒有人認為未來好萊塢在中國會一帆風順。

一名高管說,中國就是中國,永遠都會有某種問題。

BEN FRITZ / LAURIE BURKITT


Hollywood Pushes Back Against New China Tax

Twentieth Century Fox is refusing to accept about $23 million it is owed on Chinese box-office receipts for producing 'Life of Pi' as a result of a clash between Hollywood and Chinese authorities, studio executives say.

The dispute centers on a new value-added tax that China is in the process of imposing on a wide range of goods and services. When it comes to movie tickets, state-owned distributor China Film Group has recently sought to deduct the cost of the tax entirely from foreign producers' share of the box office, said several people involved in international film distribution.

The tax method is causing consternation in Hollywood, where it is seen as the latest in a series of efforts to limit American studios' ability to generate profits in China despite a deal last year that was supposed to open doors. The policy undercuts one of the provisions of that agreement, reached between the American and Chinese governments, which bumped up the percentage of ticket sales that foreign producers receive.

Executives from several studios including Fox are objecting to China Film's approach to dealing with the tax. In other countries, value-added taxes are taken out of gross box-office receipts, before the money is divided between studios and theaters. Studio executives believe China Film's new policy could reduce by 8% their theatrical revenue in coming years from the world's fastest-growing movie market, potentially costing them millions of dollars.

'This is a serious concern and we don't know when it will be resolved,' said one senior movie studio executive involved in the discussions.

The new tax has created confusion for many businesses operating in China, legal experts say. When a pilot program was rolled out in select cities last year, officials didn't specify whether it would apply to movie tickets. This month the government stated publicly that it would apply to cinemas, beginning in August.

But at a meeting of U.S. film studios organized by the Motion Picture Association of America last week, a senior executive from Fox told other international distribution professionals in attendance that China Film was attempting to reduce its payment on 'Life of Pi'岸released last year in China岸due to the new value-added tax. Rather than accept what it believes is an underpayment, the studio is refusing to take any money until the issue is resolved.

One movie industry expert in China said that due to the lack of clear rules, the amount of a tax any studio has to pay may depend on its ability to negotiate with China Film Group. The expert also noted that domestic studios are exempt from the tax unless they are working with foreign partners.

A spokesman for China Film Group declined to discuss to discuss tax-related agreements, but said he wasn't aware of any disputes with Hollywood studios. 'China Film Group always has good relationships with foreign studios, so as far as I'm concerned, there is no controversy,' said spokesman Jiang Defu.

A spokeswoman for Fox, which like The Wall Street Journal is owned by News Corp NWSA, declined to comment.

The MPAA has been involved in the dispute since last week's meeting, which was held at the Cinema-Con movie theater industry convention in Las Vegas. Studios and the MPAA are working to resolve the issue without involving the U.S. government.

'I'm well aware of the issue,' said Chris Dodd, the former U.S. senator who is CEO of the trade association. 'We're working on it and the studios are.'

'Pi' was one of the most successful films last year in China, grossing $91 million. As last year's agreement allowed foreign producers to receive a 25% share of box office, Fox's share of the 'Pi' box office should translate to nearly $23 million. China Film's imposition of the new tax would reduce Fox's take by approximately $2 million, according to people briefed on the situation.

Executives at two other studios who attended the Las Vegas meeting said they agreed with Fox's position. They said they were concerned that if Fox accepted the lower payment, that could become a precedent that would impact the entire industry.

American films that opened in China after 'Life of Pi' and are awaiting their cut of box office grosses in the country include 'Skyfall,' released by Sony Pictures Entertainment, 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' from Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., Walt Disney Co.'s 'Oz: The Great and Powerful,' and 'G.I. Joe: Redemption,' distributed by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures.

Nearly all the foreign films that play in China come from Hollywood. Spokesmen for Sony, Warner Bros., Paramount and Disney declined to comment.

Last year's agreement was seen as marking major progress in Hollywood studios' long-running effort to gain greater access to the world's second largest movie market-projected to be No. 1 by 2020. Aside from the increase in box-office share allowed for foreign producers, the agreement increased the number of foreign films allowed to play in China and share in box office revenue from 20 to 34.

But a series of setbacks have followed. Last summer, China Film opened several similar movies, including 'The Dark Knight Rises' and 'The Amazing Spider-Man,' on the same dates. It also imposed month long 'blackout periods' during which no foreign pictures were allowed to play in Chinese theaters.

Those moves were widely perceived as an effort to limit the total box office of imported films, which were far outpacing local productions. This year, the trend has been the opposite.

Executives at Sony Pictures were shocked earlier this month when Chinese authorities pulled 'Django Unchained' from theaters the day it started playing. The studio made minor changes to satisfy censors and on Friday said it would be rereleased in China on May 12.

The Hollywood executives concerned about the new tax dispute said they are hopeful it will be resolved soon, but none expect to enjoy smooth sailing going forward.

'China's China and there is always some issue,' said one.

BEN FRITZ / LAURIE BURKITT

Kodak Gives Assets to U.K. Retirees

Kodak Gives Assets to U.K. Retirees

這種善待退休員工的處理方式很值得參考
Photography icon Eastman Kodak Co. EKDKQ +30.49% laid plans to emerge from a year-plus stretch in bankruptcy court with a deal that turns over two businesses it was trying to shed to unusual recipients: its U.K. retirees.
The Rochester, N.Y., company has been selling assets and shutting businesses since it filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2012 amid a cash crunch. But it didn't have many offers for the camera-film business that helped make it a blue chip, said people familiar with the company.
At the same time, the U.K. Kodak Pension Plan claims Kodak owes it $2.8 billion, a large sum that was threatening to complicate the company's efforts to reorganize, the people said.

Timeline: The History of Kodak

In a deal announced Monday, Kodak will turn over the "personalized imaging" business, which includes camera film, as well as its "document imaging" business, to the U.K. pensioners—its largest creditor—in exchange for a wipeout of the pension obligations. The deal will also yield about $325 million of cash and other value, including various claims worth another roughly $325 million.
After these moves and the shutdown of its desktop-printer unit last September, Kodak's future is now pinned on selling printing equipment and services to companies.
Some of the funds expected to be raised in the shedding of the imaging businesses will be used to support Kodak's emergence from Chapter 11, in addition to the growth of its commercial printing, packaging and functional printing businesses, the company said.
"We satisfied the requirements of our lenders and took care of our document imaging and personalized imaging employees, suppliers and customers," said Becky Roof, Kodak's interim chief financial officer. She said Kodak and the U.K. retirees are already in discussions about how to separate the businesses.
The transaction is subject to approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Kodak's U.S. pension obligations are still being sorted out in bankruptcy court with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.
Some people not involved in the deal called it unusual, especially given its size. Assets in a bankruptcy typically get sold to rivals or financiers experienced in running or selling businesses, not pension-plan managers.
"Cash is the currency when you're settling creditor claims because they're really not equipped to run a business," said Rick Chesley, co-chair of law firm DLA Piper's restructuring practice who isn't involved in the situation. But "pensioners might be better equipped [than other creditors] because they are organized and have fiduciary obligations, and governance structures in place."
In the coming months, the U.K. retirees, about 15,000 total, plan to establish a governance structure and hire executives to try to generate cash flows that satisfy pension obligations, among other objectives, said Steven Ross, chairman of the U.K. Kodak Pension Plan. Down the road, KPP could sell the businesses, he added, but it would be at least 10 years off.
Kodak's largest plant in the U.K. is in Harrow, near London, and manufactures color photographic paper and used to make film products, a person close to the company said. The plant was founder George Eastman's first manufacturing plant outside Rochester.
The pension deal has been in the works since December 2011, before Kodak filed for Chapter 11, said Andrew Dietderich, a restructuring lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, which has advised the company.
Advisers and representatives for the U.K. retirees made trips to New York every two to three weeks for the past 15 months to negotiate the arrangement, said Mr. Ross.
Getty Images
A roll of Kodachrome 35mm film
During that time, advisers designed roughly 25 different models to determine possible outlooks of the deal and to make sure the pension plan felt "comfortable," he said. "We wanted…to prove the likelihood of this being a success in 10 or 15 years time."
Kodak already had reached a tentative deal April 15 to sell document-imaging assets to Brother Industries Ltd. 6448.TO +0.09% for roughly $210 million. But the deal isn't yet approved by a bankruptcy judge and can be abandoned by Kodak if the company can get a "bundled transaction," such as the U.K. pension deal.
Brother said Monday it was evaluating Kodak's announcement.
In August, Kodak put on the block the camera-film business and other businesses, including kiosks that develop digital photos and heavy-duty commercial scanners. The plan was to cut back and focus on commercial printing, packaging and functional printing.
A bankruptcy judge earlier this year approved Kodak's deal to sell a portfolio of 1,100 digital patents for $527 million. Though the patents fetched a lower price than Kodak hoped, the buyers—including Apple Inc., AAPL +3.10% Google Inc. GOOG +2.20% and Microsoft Corp., MSFT +2.58% agreed to end contentious patent litigation.
Founded in the 1880s, Kodak has fallen far from its days of being a technological titan that for decades—1930-2004—was a component in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Despite inventing the digital camera, Kodak has been slow to adapt to new technologies and ended up filing for bankruptcy protection amid a cash crunch.
Separately on Monday Kodak reported a quarterly profit of $283 million,or $1.04 a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $366 million, or $1.35 a share. But the profit came only because of a $535 million gain recorded on the sale of the digital imaging patent portfolio, partially offset by a $77 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge related to the patent sale. The latest period included $120 million in reorganization items, compared with $88 million a year earlier. Revenue fell 8.5% to $849 million.
Gross margin widened to 21.8% from 6.5% as input costs slid 24% to $664 million.
Bottom-line results improved in the commercial imaging and the graphics, entertainment and commercial films segments.
The company's cash balance improved slightly to $1.17 billion at the end of the first quarter from $1.14 billion three months earlier.
Write to Emily Glazer at emily.glazer@wsj.com and Mike Spector at mike.spector@wsj.com
A version of this article appeared April 30, 2013, on page B1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Kodak Swap Cancels Pensions.

2013年4月27日 星期六

李安 Ang Lee 創造團隊人生意義的大導演:綜合藝術的電影之經營與領導:以《臥虎藏龍》(Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) 2000;以《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》2012為例

 
 李安 Ang Lee 創造團隊人生意義的大導演:綜合藝術的電影之經營與領導:臥龍藏虎( 2000)


鄭佩佩,"劃時代的《臥虎藏龍》",載《回首一笑七十年》台北:香海,207、頁322~347

藍祖蔚,"39 李安:無招是招 樸素是真",載夢迴:藍祖蔚的台灣電影備忘錄台北:書林,2022、頁346~424

 李安 Ang Lee :慎重:電影事業的轉"涙"片:《臥虎藏龍》,美國影迷譜出,光是紐約時報約5篇......

腳色、溝通、成本、進度,協調....

2000年12月8日 — The film opens today in Manhattan. In Ang Lee's soulful action film, ''Crouching TigerHidden Dragon,'' Chow Yun Fat strides onto the screen ...
2016年2月28日 — This sequel, directed by Yuen Wo Ping, mostly uses different actors as it tries to recapture the feel and success of the 2000 original.
2000年10月9日 — Crouching TigerHidden DragonNYT Critic's Pick: Directed by Ang Lee: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance: PG-13: 2 hours.
View a trailer from the film 'Crouching TigerHidden Dragon'. (Requires Real Player) · Current Film Reviews. Credit: Sony Pictures Classics ...
2001年2月2日 — n 8-year-old girl full of deceit - that's poison," says Jade Fox (Ms. Pei-Pei), a bitter warrior who shoots a poisoned needle into the neck of ...
2014年9月29日 — Netflix and the Weinstein Company said that they planned to release a sequel to the movie “Crouching TigerHidden Dragon” simultaneously on ...
2001年2月27日 — Ang Lee's romantic martial arts epic, Crouching TigerHidden Dragon, is doing lackluster box office in Hong Kong, birthplace of the genre, ...


***

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crouching_Tiger,_Hidden_Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Chinese poster).png
International theatrical release poster
Traditional臥虎藏龍
BudgetUS$17 million[3]
Box officeUS$213.5 million[3]



*****



Ang Lee 李安 (II):Thank You, Xie Xie, Namaste, "lif...

Film Director Ang Lee: 'Telling Stories Is a Quest for the Meaning of Life'

Ang Lee's first choice of profession was acting. But his Chinese accent made it difficult to get a break in America, where he had gone from Taiwan to study at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York. He turned to directing instead. As a director, his voice is heard all over the world. He has recently picked up a second best-director Oscar for Life of Pi. He had earlier won an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain.
Lee believes that "life is a process of learning." He wants to be a permanent student of film studies, so that "I can always make different films, taste different roles, go to different places and experience various stories…. I want to study my own life and discover myself by making films…. My work is driven by feelings. I follow my feelings and then communicate them to the audience.”
In this interview, conducted by students from Wharton’s Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies, Lee talks about his strong interest in experimenting with new themes, his focus on cultural similarities rather than differences and the influence of his own life on his movies.
Below is an edited transcript of the interview.

China Knowledge@Wharton: The films you have worked on are very diversified. Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Wedding Banquet and Life of Pi are so different from each other. How do you select the theme?
Ang Lee: It’s like traveling; you always prefer to go to a different destination each time.
We learn all our lives. School is just the beginning. All work is a process of learning. I want to be a permanent student of film studies, so that I can always make different films, taste different roles, go to different places and experience various stories…. I want to study my own life and discover myself by making films. For me, filmmaking is not just work; it’s my life.
I have learned a lot of professional skills, too. After my fourth work, Sense and Sensibility, I refused to be stereotyped. I tried diversified themes which needed more effort and also some sacrifice in remuneration. After I tried several different topics, people realized I would not be stereotyped. It’s a big world and there are so many things to do. Why should we repeat the same thing? Of course, there are some people who are getting better and better in one direction. But I love continuous experiments and adventure, and to learn and grow from that.

China Knowledge@Wharton: Given the rise of mainland China, how can Taiwan improve its visibility? Also, many people think that its cultural diversity is a competitive advantage for Taiwan. Do you agree? How can Taiwan build on this?
Lee: I fully understand when you say that Taiwan’s visibility is inadequate. Taiwan has a lot of so-called soft power. We have been nurtured by Chinese traditional culture and have also absorbed Western and Japanese culture to some extent. In addition, I think the Taiwanese are very nice people. Maybe it’s because I am a Taiwanese myself.
The basic quality of the Taiwanese people is very good, which is an advantage. But the world doesn't understand Taiwan very much. So I shot Life of Pi in Taiwan partly to increase its visibility.
On the film industry in particular, I think Taiwan does not have the infrastructure. All the basic elements are there; they are just not very well organized. Our film industry has to become stronger and the government should pay more attention.
Taiwanese people should have a sense of crisis. Young people like you should be alert that we have to try harder because the current advantages will not last too long. I think young people on the mainland are more diligent.

China Knowledge@Wharton: You have built a cross-cultural communication bridge with your international works. Was that your original vision?
Lee: No. It was just survival at the beginning. My original dream was to become an actor, although that failed because of my poor English when, at the age of 23, I came to the U.S. to study drama. I grew up in a Chinese milieu, but was quite gifted in Western drama. Deep in my heart, I am still fascinated by the stage, though I am now telling stories with the camera. I am a mixture of both Eastern and Western cultures. I live in New York, and most of my colleagues -- from idea generation, research and playwriting to post production and film editing -- are American.
My first film in New York was sponsored by a Taiwan film company. That was a hit with the mainstream Taiwan audience. My second work, Wedding Banquet, got me some international recognition. My [early] films were mainstream in Asia, but in the U.S. they were distributed slowly by art houses because they were foreign-language films. After I made some Chinese films, I began to shoot English films. I also joined the global tour to promote Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. This was an international hit.
As a filmmaker, I am a vessel. I feel something and then express it. It is an experiment. We are driven by feelings instead of plans. You have emotions and you express them. We are observed by others. Many artists do not start with a concept. We are more intuitive. My work is driven by feelings. I follow my feelings and then communicate them to the audience.

China Knowledge@Wharton: Leaving aside your family members, who has had the biggest influence on your life and work?
Lee: My family members have had the most influence on me. For example, fatherhood -- the dynamics between father and son -- is a major theme in my work. How does the Chinese traditional culture represented by my father survive in a modern society? How does he adapt to a Western-oriented life?
Apart from my family, James Schamus, my long time working partner, is a very influential figure for me. He is the one who takes care of me at work. From the original idea and research to production, he is involved in everything. He has written many scripts for me and has helped sell my films later on. He is now CEO of Focus Features [a production and distribution company], so he was actually the boss of three of my works. He also teaches at Columbia University.
Many people who worked with me are close partners when we are shooting the film. Their lives get injected into my perceptions and the theme I am working on. When you are so engrossed doing one thing, the story you are telling becomes your own story. The past four years, I have drifted like Pi on the sea. In order to experience that loneliness, I didn’t work with James on this one, which is the first time we were not together on a film. I wanted to taste that loneliness, so that I could finally grow, reach the other shore of the Pacific, and become a man from a boy. My life developed in parallel with my film.

China Knowledge@Wharton: You have won many prizes globally and achieved a lot. What do you plan next?
Lee: As I was saying, I don’t have plans. When I was young and unknown, no one wrote scripts for me. So I wrote them myself. Now, there are people who write for me. I look at what stimulates my imagination. Some directors can shoot different films at the same time. I can’t. I always spend years on one film. Until that is nearly finished, I do not select the next one. I don’t have too many hobbies in life. I just love making films.
Right now, my work is at the crossroads. Life of Pi was more high-tech and visual-arts involved. This was quite novel for me, but also very expensive. In the future, I might go back to low-budget films.
At present, I am taking on a new project -- a TV play. I have never done this before. The first episode is titled “Tyrant” and we are shooting in the Middle East, which should be quite interesting.
My previous nine films were all made from books. I am still reading a lot of scripts both in English and Chinese, so there is no answer to your question yet.

China Knowledge@Wharton: I read an interview you did in 2008 after Brokeback Mountain won an Oscar award. You mentioned that you have experienced a lot of difficulties and challenges. What advice you would offer students like us?
Lee: Life is a permanent learning process. You have to keep learning as long as you are alive. Never think you know the answer; constantly challenge yourself. Life has so much to teach; school is just the beginning.
For [those looking at a career in film], my advice is to write the script yourself. When you are young, no one will write for you. It is especially tough for a Chinese [actor] to find a good role in the U.S. So you have to be able to write and create. The theme has to be novel and connected with your life so that you have true feelings about it. But it has to be above your personal experience and contain some universal value so people around the world can accept it.

China Knowledge@Wharton: Would you tell us which of your films impacted you the most and why?
Lee: Actually every film was an experience for me; it was what I most wanted to do at that time. If you want to me to choose, it’s Lust, Caution. For a Chinese citizen, it’s scary to talk of female sexuality, patriotism in war and treason all in one story. It is easier to portray a gay American cowboy [Brokeback Mountain].
One of the most important missions for drama is to explore human nature. If everyone is calm and life is nice, there will be nothing to examine or reveal. In Lust, Caution, I not only needed to explore a topic I was scared about and unwilling to face, but I also needed to expose a forbidden theme in Chinese culture. That film was a painful, rebellious and unsettling experience. Americans are not as interested in this story because they do not feel strongly on the subject.

China Knowledge@Wharton: You have made films on homosexual subjects. However, I feel that the target audience of these films is mainly Westerners. How would you make a film on that theme for Asian people, especially Chinese?
Lee: As a matter of fact, Wedding Banquet was made for the mainstream audience in Taiwan. I was not expecting it to be a box-office success in the U.S. That script was written by me for the Taiwan Central Motion Picture Corporation. But they didn’t want to make the film because of the homosexual theme. Americans didn’t want to make it because it was too Chinese. So I got the chance to make it only later. The movie was a hit in Taiwan and internationally. Brokeback Mountain was also received well in Taiwan. Some people have watched it more than a dozen times.
I am not sensitive about the nationality of my film. I grew up in Taiwan in a Chinese culture, so my view of the world is more oriental. At the same time, I have absorbed a lot of Western culture and technology; I work closely with my American colleagues on everything.
Take Life of Pi, for example. It is an English-language film. It’s an Indian story. It did best in Taiwan and mainland China. It doesn't make a difference to me. I think you can find people you can relate to in every corner of the world. People are not divided by cultures. Your heart, beliefs and perceptions of art are more important than cultural differences. This is human nature.
As a film director, I have to be able to capture the flavor of a particular place. But the ultimate goal is to explore human nature through the prism of culture, which is universal.

China Knowledge@Wharton: I like Life of Pi and have also read the novel. There are a lot of different interpretations. What is the major theme of your film?
Lee: When I first read the novel, I did not think of religion. I thought of authorship -- the connection between the author and the story. I think Life of Pi is not about religion; it is about God. What is God? It is hard to define. We Chinese think anything beyond three feet above our heads is God. Everything which is unknown to you or not controlled by you is God. I think God is your emotional connection to the unknown. 
Oriental people worship mysticism; we respect things we don’t understand. This book has inspired me to [look at] that unknown. We not only need to know, we but also need to know that we cannot know. Faith is the connection between us and the unknown in terms of our emotional life.
This involves storytelling. Why do we need to tell stories? Because life doesn’t make sense; we can’t give it an artificial, logical interpretation based on our own assumption and understanding. So we need storytelling. A story will contain a structure, including a beginning, a middle and an end. So the story itself is meaningful. I think telling stories is a quest for the meaning of life. Pi is an endless and irrational number. It’s always developing and it represents the impenetrable, meaningless and ridiculous nature of life. We need stories to make sense of our lives.
We are together to listen to a story and to share wisdom. We feel that life has a meaning. But according to Buddhism, this is only an illusion. But do you think illusion has less meaning than what you can touch or verify?

China Knowledge@Wharton: As an international director and producer, you are also a manager of an organization. You have to consider cost, budget, promotion, profitability etc. How do you organize this kind of work?
Lee: China has a saying: “Man’s calculation can never be as good as God’s calculation.”
There are many outstanding MBA and law school graduates working in the film and entertainment industry. If we could calculate which movie will make more money, we can all become very rich. The fact is that most productions make a loss; you subsidize them with a few hits. From the business angle, no one really knows the result [in advance].
You need to have the ability to organize work and control the budget. You have a vision and implement it. You need to be very rational and organized in implementation, which is my strength. I am not only a director but also a producer. So I have to be very organized and efficient at work. I do not think too much about whether the movie will be a hit.
Music has something similar to math. So do films. It is not just intuition. In such a big project, calculation has a role, too. But in the end, you have to make people feel it is one piece – that it has not been calculated. That can make it really touching.
I think the most important things are what you have not calculated -- like emotion. A film is an emotional ride. It has curves. The story needs to be a flow and you have to capture emotions. This is something you cannot get through calculation. You have to devote your heart. Art is abstract; both sense and sensibility are crucial.

The questions in this interview were contributed by Lauder students Charlotte McAusland, Michael Wu, Ying Wang, David Cummins, Kevin Lam, Jeanne Chen, Lane Rettig, Edward Wu and Justin Knapp, and Theresa Jen, director of the Lauder Chinese Language and Culture Program.

Published : 2013.04.24  http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=article&articleid=2777&languageid=1




Life of Pi

李安先生在台灣拍此片The upcoming film adaptation is directed by Ang Lee based on an adapted screenplay by David Magee. Suraj Sharma, who has no previous acting experience, will play Pi. Life of Pi is scheduled to be released on 21 December 2012.
我買到一本舊書

似禪如詩的漂流者(李安)


 
我在籌備《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》這部電影時,最主要的工具書,是史帝芬.卡拉漢的《漂流:我一個人在海上76天》。不光是我自己,主要工作人員及主角,我都要求他們必讀這本書。
當然,《少年Pi》是一個有關漂流的故事,但《漂流》是一部親身體驗的紀實之作。從這本書中,我不只可以參考很多第一手資料,更重要的是,作者把這段以小塑膠筏,在加勒比海上獨自漂流76天的刻苦經歷,透過深思反省,寫成一冊極為感人的好書。
史帝芬?卡拉漢這位漂流者,不僅生動地描述了具體事件,更在情感思考上有深度的探索。因為史帝芬在漂流時期,一般生存條件被剝削到最低程度,所以 他的感官與心智出奇的敏銳。他對許多事物的體認是非凡的,舉凡對基本物資與工具的珍惜、對自身的反省、對自然的融合與崇敬、對信仰的領會……,透過似禪如 詩的文字,把這場漂流的歷程,寫成面對內心與神跡的朝聖之旅,發人深省。
我與史帝芬相識於2009年4月,當時我正難於下決心接不接《少年Pi》。原著是好書,劇本卻不知怎下手,更別提片子該怎麼拍。看了史帝芬這本《漂流》,覺得似乎比《少年Pi》還有意思。於是我找了編劇David Magee聯繫史帝芬,然後一起殺到緬因州去向他請益。
史帝芬是一位老式木造帆船的專家,他帶著我,連同他太太Kathy一起出航,我們在小船上聊了很多,又於次日長談(這個人,真的可以做好朋友)。 之後,我便決定接下這部片子。這部片子到了2010年8月多經費才批准下來,我們在台中建造一個新式的大造浪池,又把廢置的水湳機場改造成片廠工作。

堅毅樂觀鼓勵人心

我請史帝芬來當我們的漂流顧問。當時,史帝芬剛經歷血癌的手術,才出院不久,便頂著虛弱身子飛來台中幫忙,真是令人感動。
後來在拍攝期間,他不只是指導所有有關漂流的細節,甚至成為我們的造浪顧問。後期製作時,他也指導了一部分電腦海洋動畫。只是沒多久便因血癌惡化,開始一連串痛苦的化療,又是換髓又是換血的。
但 《少年Pi》的後期製作既長且煩,有時真有頹廢到想放棄的時候。但是與史帝芬的電話問候與通信中,他的堅毅與樂觀,凡事感恩的態度,對我有著很大的鼓勵。 其實不論在海上漂流,或者是在病榻上抗癌,他的精神是一致的──他永遠對能夠成為宇宙運作中的一份子感到珍惜,永遠盡心盡力的體會與學習,並不吝分享他 人,是一位難得的好人與修行者。
這個世界常常是有歷練的人沒文才,或是有感性的人沒靈性,像史帝芬.卡拉漢這樣一位俱全的人,寫的《漂流》這麼一本有意思的書,真像是一本《福音》。
作者為知名導演
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Life of Pi
Life of Pi cover.png
AuthorYann Martel
Original titleLife of Pi
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Novel
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf Canada
Publication dateSeptember 2001
Pages356
ISBNISBN 0-676-97376-0 (first edition, hardcover) ISBN 0-15-602732-1 (US paperback edition)
ISBN 1-565-11780-8 (audiobook, Penguin Highbridge)
OCLC Number46624335
Preceded bySelf
Followed byWe Ate the Children Last
Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck, while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger.
The novel was rejected by at least five London publishing houses[1] before being accepted by Knopf Canada, which published it in September 2001. The UK edition won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction the following year.[2][3][4] It was also chosen for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2003, where it was championed by author Nancy Lee.[5] The French translation, L'Histoire de Pi, was chosen in the French version of the contest, Le combat des livres, where it was championed by Louise Forestier.[6] The novel won the 2003 Boeke Prize, a South African novel award. In 2004, it won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in Best Adult Fiction for years 2001–2003.[7]

2013年4月25日 星期四

Howard Collins 掌雪梨火車公司




  1. Howard Collins, London Underground, discusses the metro rail ...

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWTspzZ3mGU
    Jan 9, 2013 - Uploaded by madelaine gibbs
    Hear Howard Collins, London Underground, discuss the metro rail ... BBC Tube documentaryby ...

  Howard Collins 掌雪梨火車公司

據每日電訊報報導,倫敦地鐵公司的現任總裁科林斯(Howard Collins)即將離任,前來悉尼執掌悉尼火車公司(Sydney Train),其年薪為53萬澳元。科林斯在倫敦交通系統工作了35年,從火車司機到信號管理員,他擔任過各種各樣的職位。他在倫敦地鐵公司的年薪為25萬英鎊,折合38萬澳元。

科林斯兩週前來到悉尼,他稱對於悉尼這個海港城市的交通擁擠問題感到吃驚。他告誡其新僱主——紐省政府,如果不投資興建新的基礎設施,比如新的火車線路,將是個錯誤,可能會讓悉尼失去「國際都市」的稱號。他還說在公共交通上的長期投資是保持城市交通脈絡暢通的唯一方式。

科林斯說悉尼交通狀況自2006年以來一直惡化,「悉尼火車在售票、技術和環境方面,讓我回想起25年前坐倫敦地鐵時。這也是我想幫助改進的。」

他表示引進澳寶卡(Opal Card)可帶來很大便利,如同在倫敦使用的牡蠣卡(Oyster Card)一樣。(按:類似悠遊卡)

科林斯主張增加單層火車服務,以取代雙層火車。他表示,悉尼一些地區確實需要使用重型(雙層)火車,然而他們瞭解到不在乎每趟火車可提供多少個座位,而在乎每小時共可提供多少個座位。

科林斯還計劃努力提升客服質量,以鼓勵更多的人乘坐火車。「其中一個改進就是增加無線網絡,這給人們帶來很大便利。

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