Free Project: Initial Ideas and Research

In this post, I will do initial ideas and research, signaling the start of a new project. 

To begin with, I will first think about the main concept of the work, something that I found interesting. As I reflect on this, I feel that a subject that interest me the most and have led me to my love in films are the slow and humanistic nature of some East Asian film auteurs. In particular, film landscapes and movements in Japan and Taiwan that has produced portrayals that defines their country and society at a certain time. To me, this is an aspect of film I found most beautiful as it connects the various artforms in film to connect with the heritage, conditions, and people in a realistic manner, with a national identity within it. I also loved how some of the films and auteurs I'm thinking of has not only made a statement on the social conditions of their country and society, but also a universal and approachable lesson on the human condition through their characters and story.

Thinking about that, some of the topics I will consider (either talking about a particular auteur, the auter's film, or a whole category of cinematic movement that best fits my interest and description of social realistic films) are the following:

  • The Taiwanese New Wave (Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Tsai Ming-Liang.)
  • Japanese Cinema (Yasujiro Ozu, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda.)
  • Korean Cinema (Hong Sang-Soo, Kim Bora)
  • Chinese Cinema (Zhang Yimou, Hu Bo)
Now, having thought of these ideas, I will now consider which form or media that I will choose. The brief stated that there were two options for each audio, visual, or written projects. Looking at the brief, I have concluded that these forms are which I could try to do.
  • A short story of no more than 1500
  • A magazine article of no more than 1500
  • A podcast of no more than 5 minutes long

Considering all of these options, I have decided to mainly focus on describing the qualities of the Taiwanese New Wave and how it impacts and compares to films now, through a podcast which will last 5 minutes long. Now, I decided to choose podcast because it's something new to me, which fits the purpose of the project. 


To clearly define the nature of Taiwanese New Wave, here is a short research I've done that best describes the Taiwanese New Wave from filmlifestyle.com by Matt (no date)

  • The period from the middle of the 1980s and the early 2000s is regarded as the span of Taiwanese New Wave cinema. 
  • Taiwanese filmmakers produced independent works that were artistic and socially critical throughout this time. 
  • They both expressed an interest in social issues and a desire for artistic freedom outside of the studio system. 
  • They rejected traditional storytelling techniques in favor of experimental ones, including nonlinear narratives and wildly impressionistic cinematography.
  • The Taiwanese New Wave is more of a movement that changed the way that Taiwanese people view movies.

A City of Sadness (1989), from Mubi


Some examples of Taiwanese New Wave films are:
  • In Our Time (1982) dir, Tao Te-chen, Edward Yang, Ko Yi-cheng and Chang Yi
  • The Sandwich Man (1982) dir. Hou, Wan Jen, and Zhuang Xiang Zeng
  • That Day, on the Beach (1983) dir. Edward Yang
  • A Time to Live, a Time to Die (1985) dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien
  • The Terrorizers (1986) dir. Edward Yang
  • A City of Sadness (1989) dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien
  • A Brighter Summer Day (1991) dir. Edward Yang
  • Rebels of the Neon God (1992) dir. Tsai Ming-liang
  • Vive L'Amour (1994) dir. Tsai Ming-liang
  • Yi Yi (2001) dir. Edward Yang
I will go into further detail on research regarding the Taiwanese New Wave at a later post.


References

  • Matt (no date) What is Taiwanese new wave cinema? essential guide to the film movement, Filmmaking Lifestyle. Available at: https://filmlifestyle.com/what-is-taiwanese-new-wave-cinema/ (Accessed: February 22, 2023).

  • Emerson, A. (2019) The beginner's guide: New taiwanese cinema, Film Inquiry. Available at: https://www.filminquiry.com/beginners-guide-new-taiwanese-cinema/ (Accessed: February 22, 2023).


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