The film industry is a major
contributor to the economy and has developed as one of the largest industries
globally. This is due to globalisation, ‘the growing interconnectedness of different
parts of the world, a process which gives rise to the complex forms of interaction
and interdependency’ (Giddens in Rantanen, 2005, p.7). As such, movies and
television series are able to be viewed across the world and interpreted across
languages. There are cultural differences that exist within the reknowned
Hollywood film compared to that of European or Asian style film. However, the
film industry has been said to be experiencing a back-flip in terms of cinema
methods, with Hollywood becoming Asianised and Asian films basing their
production on 'Hollywoodised'
ways. The term Hollywoodised, or Hollywoodisation, is defined by Christina
Klein as a tool used by productions, other than films based in Hollywood, to
incorporate Hollywood themes, techniques and storylines. (Klein, 2004, p. 369). Asianisation, on the other hand, involves
methods adopted by Hollywood to integrate Asian film techniques into their
production. This is specifically noted in martial arts or action films and in
television animations.
Christina Klein in particular discussed this notion of Asianisation a decade ago noting the movie Kill Bill (2004) as being a perfect illustration of her argument. Kill Bill directed by Quentin Tarantino includes elements of cinema stereotypical to Asian production methods. The use of martial arts and sound effects during fighting scenes emphasises this, along with the chosen music in scenes. The actions involved in the fighting typically occur in slow motion or are very jolted or distinct to emphasis the fights as you can see in the following YouTube Trailer. Sean Tierney (2006, p.607) notes that ‘in 2003, Hollywood released three major films in which a White protagonist “mastering” an Asian martial art was part of the narrative: Kill Bill, The Last Samurai, and Bulletproof Monk’ all of which feature traditional Asian weaponry. The distinctive use of a samurai sword, which originates from Japan, also brings a form of Asian culture to the film. They also make transitions from a coloured picture to black and white when flashbacks or significant moments. Klein states that 'Hollywood today (a decade ago) is fascinated with martial arts to an extent unseen since the heyday of Bruce Lee in the early 1970s' (p. 360). This is still evident today.
The 2010 movie 'Kickass' and its
sequel previewing this year, 'Kickass 2', continues with this theme of martial
arts, fighting and prominent sound effects being used. Huaiting Wu and Joseph
Man Chan (2007) state that, 'oriental culture is
globalized against the odds as predicted by theories of cultural imperialism'
through the case study of the blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. They note the influence of martial
arts within cinema and its growing culture in the industry. Kickass is one example of the
takeover. Several other recent films in this category include Dragon Eyes, The
Man with the Iron Fists, and the remake of the Karate Kid (2010).
Similarly
television series are taking on the Asianised stance specifically in the anime
or cartoon sector. The 'Merriam-Webster online website definition for anime is,
“a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark
colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic
themes.”' (p. 1) Several American shows have adopted these styles and
incorporated Japanese context. Avatar The Last Airbender falls under this
blanket being a Nickelodeon production however being branded an anime is
controversial as it is not of Japanese orientation. The concept of Avatar is a
boy who is essentially the ‘chosen one’ who, through mastering the four
elements (water, earth, air, and fire) is able to stop the war between the
segregated element nations. The characters all have Asian names and are
portrayed are originating from Asian descent. They all communicate verbally in
English however all written messages are in Asian scribe. The buildings in the cartoon
also reflect Asian influenced architecture. This production has been one of the
most successful Anime-like American produced television series however
controversy surrounds the labelling attached to the show. This video discusses
how anime is now a problematic concept with the American cartoons.
Recently
I noticed a much loved childhood show of mine had also incorporated Asian
themes into their show. Power Rangers,
an American television series surrounding a group of teenagers who morph into
superheros to combat evil was merely a superhero action series to most. However
further research has shown that the series was actually based on a long-running
Japanese series, Super Sentai. Power
Rangers has developed and changed across its lifespan with the most recent
series Power Rangers Samurai taking being the most prominent in terms of
Asianisation. The weapons that each Power Ranger possessed is of Asian
orientation, as the name suggests, samurai swords are used. They all draw an
Asian symbol in the air to morph into their superhero persona. The headquarters
is primarily based on an Asian style structure internally and externally with
plenty of wood and see-through (or sheer) walls. This Asian theme is the result
of producer, Haim Saban, aiming to keep Power Rangers as similar to its
Japanese basis as possible.
It
is clear that Hollywood is still implementing Asian based strategies in their
film production but the question is why would Hollywood film makers change
their methods when Hollywood films have been so successful in the past? To
appeal to a wider global market of course. The US owns majority of the media
and has much influence over perceptions. In order for the industry to further
their success adopting strategies utilised by other cultures, expanding on them
and using large scale budgets to improve the quality. In sociological terms
cultural imperialism is taking place. Cultural imperialism, according to Herbert
Schiller (1997) implies that although the US (the
main global producer of TV and cinema material) had not physically invaded
other countries in order to expand their markets, they could still win the hearts
and minds of the people. This
could be done through the adaptation of other cinematic methods as discussed.
On
the flip side Asian films are incorporating Hollywood styles, techniques and
even storylines into their film making. Asian films have also become Hollywoodised,
incorporating the typical Western love story into their movies. One of the
major films that stands out in this factor is London,
Paris, New York which
looks like a typical 'chick flick'. The storyline follows that of a Hollywood
film in that two individuals meet and through their differences end up finding
love. The cover of the film even represents the hollywoodised, somewhat cheesy,
love story.
This
Hollywoodisation of Asian cinema was, perhaps, firstly noted in the form of Bollywood.
The concept refers to Indian cinematic methods in their attempt to appeal to a
more Hollywood style of film as the name infers. Bollywood has become one of
the most popular concepts of cinema within the film industry with there being ‘more
than eight hundred films a year shown in more than thirteen thousand predominantly
urban cinemas, viewed by an average of 11 million people each day, and exported
to about a hundred countries’ (Mishra, 2002, p.1). Bollywood encompasses
Hollywood styles in terms of settings taking
local cultural stories and filtering them through the Hollywood formula such as
large scale sets, stages and stars but with only a minimal budget. The initial objective
of Bollywood cinema was to target an increasing middle-class Indian audience,
especially among young people however through globalisation this idea has
become popular around the world, hence the prior statistics. It also
identifies love as a major theme in majority of the productions with an
emphasis on the dancing element and elaborate costume design which does align
with the Indian culture.
Hollywood
is the benchmark of the film industry, thus western society owns the media
industry, with independent film producers having Hollywood in their sights. As
such, ‘Hollywood influence has created a globally recognised image bank’ (Hardy,
2008, p. 215) which is reason for Asian cinema adopting Hollywood film tactics.
Both
Hollywoodisation and Asianisation can be likened to the sociological notion of ‘Glocalisation’.
As defined by Erik Swyngedouw (2004), ‘glocalisation refers to the twin process whereby, firstly, institutional/regulatory
arrangements shift from the national scale both upwards to supra‐national or global scales and downwards
to the scale of the individual body or to local, urban or regional
configurations and, secondly, economic activities and inter‐firm networks are becoming simultaneously more
localised/regionalised and transnational’. Thus, glocalisation is where elements of a product
are merged with and expressed a local cultural channel. This is precisely what Hollywoodised
and Asianised production methods have implemented.
It
is clear that Klein’s concept of Hollywoodisation and Asiainisation still exist
in modern cinema with globalisation being a key influence in the changes. Both
Hollywood and Asian films are expanding their market globally by trying to incorporate
a culturally different approach which is currently being an effective approach.
Through making productions relatable to particular parts of the world that have
been experiencing their films in a certain style, adopting other cultures
cinematic approach allows for a wider audience appeal whilst introducing their
culture to new forms of films. Thus far, the strategy has been a success and is
a growing trend.
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